And When It's Over
by Ani Sparrow
Summary: Follow the adventures of Mary Schneider as she finds herself entangled in a world she never dreamed of. Rated for strong language, some violence, implied torture, implied sex scenes. Eric/OC.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any characters from the series true Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

I started writing this story when Season 1 began in the UK last autumn – it has been a while since something grabbed my attention so quickly and so hard. I have not read the books, so please do not pick me up on any discrepancies. It picks up sometime after the end of season 2 and is complete, so it won't tail off halfway through the story – I'm here for the duration – depending on feedback – Ani :-)

**And When It's Over**

He paused as he heard raised voices, then went to go on his way into the forest once more when a woman's scream pierced the air, and Bill Compton turned around and looked at the house, frowning as he saw a man dragging a woman out to the yard by her hair.

"P-please!" the woman begged as she was shoved to the ground. "I-I will try and pay you back..."

"It's too darned late fer that!" the man snarled, reaching down and tearing off the woman's nightgown.

'_Why doesn't she fight back?'_ Bill wondered as he continued to watch the scene from within the darkness of the woods.

"Ah have given yer husband plenty o'chances ter pay me back," the man continued as he started to unbuckle his belt. "Well now _you_ can pay back the debt _this_ way."

"Please don't," she whispered hoarsely, scrabbling along the ground in an effort to get away from what was about to happen to her. "I beg of you, don't do this."

"Leave her be," Bill called as he broke his cover and made his way towards the two people.

"Who the hell are you? Yer can fuck off; this ain't none of yourn business!"

"I am not about to stand by and let you attack that woman for no reason, now leave her be and you will not get hurt."

"Ah have plenty o'reasons that _still _ain't any o'yourn business," the man growled as he got off the prostrate woman and zipped his fly back up before stalking towards where Bill stood. "Now why don't _you_ fuck off and _you _ won't get hurt..."

"You leave me with no choice," Bill shrugged, half smiling to himself at the look of sheer terror on the man's face as his fangs protruded and he took a step towards him.

"N-no..." the man gasped, backing away then turning to run, crying out in panic as Bill appeared before him in an instant.

"There's always someone meaner and badder than you are," Bill taunted as he grabbed his shirt and hauled the man towards him, pausing for a brief moment before sinking his fangs into his neck and sucking hungrily at the free flowing blood, tightening his grip as his victim struggled briefly, then went limp.

"Oh, God..." the woman gasped as she watched the scene unfold just a few feet away from where she lay on the ground, reaching for her torn nightdress and trying to cover her nakedness as the vampire dropped the body of her tormentor to the ground, wiped a trickle of blood from his chin, then turned and looked at her. "N-no..." she gulped.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Ma'am," the vampire assured her as he approached the thin, unkempt woman. "Do you know why he was attacking you?"

"M-my h-husband owed him m-money."

"I see. Where is your husband? Why did he attack you and not go after him? You need to get yourself back inside," Bill urged, puzzled as to why she continued to lie mute on the ground.

"I-I... can't," she whispered.

"Why not? I promise I won't attack you, and I can't enter your home unless you invite me in."

"I-I... have ME; Myalgic Encephalopathy. Y'know? Yuppie flu?"

"I have heard of it, yes," the vampire nodded. "You don't have th'strength to get up, is that it?"

"Or walk," she added.

"May I pick you up and carry you to your house?"

"_W-what_?" she gasped, turning paler still, if that was possible.

"Well you can't stay out here until help arrives," he pointed out. "M'name's Bill Compton; I'm from Bon Temps."

"M-Mary Schneider..."

"May I help you to your house?"

"I don't know..."

"Ma'am, if I wanted to attack you, I'd do so right now, wouldn't I?"

"I... guess so," Mary frowned. "B-but there are other ways of attacking me..."

"I know my word probably don't mean much to you as a vampire, but I will not attack you, I swear."

"A-all right," she croaked, flinching as Bill reached for her, and lifted her as if she weighed nothing, her breath coming in short gasps as he walked towards the front door.

"I, ah... need your permission to enter," he pointed out as he stopped at the door and Mary looked at him in bewilderment.

"Oh. Yes... You... have my permission to enter," she whispered, closing her eyes as he carried her over the threshold. "No! Not upstairs!" Mary cried as Bill went to climb the stairs. "I can barely get up there, so I live down here."

"Where is your husband?" Bill enquired as he carried her into the small living room and placed her gently on the sofa, handing over a nearby blanket so that she could cover herself and get warm, and taking a brief glance around the room, noting how dirty and untidy the room was.

"He left two months ago; said he couldn't cope with looking after me any more, but I heard he was having an affair from a woman from Cahors, so..." she broke off, shaking her head sadly. "P-please, won't you sit down?"

"Thank you, Mary," Bill smiled as he took his place in a chair opposite the sofa. "You don't sound from around these parts?"

"No, I'm from England originally; I met Mark when we were based together; we married seven years ago and we moved here when he left the army and got a job as a forest ranger."

"How long have you suffered from ME?"

"A couple of y-years now," she replied, huddling the blanket closer to her body as the shock of the evening's events started to kick and she began shaking.

"I will get you a warm drink," Bill offered, getting to his feet and going to the kitchen, frowning to himself as he spotted a small bed against the one wall, the covers crumpled and dirty, and a chamber pot next to it, and he wrinkled his nose at the smell. He opened various cupboards, his shock turning to anger at how little foodstuffs she had in. "How have you been coping since your husband left?" he called.

"Barely," came the weak reply. "He left me some money, but it's running low; I have food delivered, but I'm an outsider and they don't always deliver, or if they do, they _run out_ of stuff and barely bring me enough to live on."

"You drink this," Bill instructed when he returned with a mug of warm milk. "I shall go to the local store and bring you some things back."

"Why?" Mary demanded. "Why are you doing this? You're a _vampire_, for Chrissakes!"

"Doesn't mean I don't have feelings," he shrugged. "I will not be long."

'_Damn!'_ Bill swore inwardly when he returned an hour or so later to find Mary collapsed on the floor, her face burning with fever. "Mary! Mary..." he called, gently shaking her body, but only getting a low groan in response. He lifted her up and carried her to the bed in the kitchen, laying her down carefully and covering her with several blankets, before fetching the groceries and putting them away in the cupboards while watching the delirious woman carefully. _'Leave her. She is none of your concern,'_ a voice inside him urged, but Bill knew that he could not leave the stricken woman to her fate, knowing it was unlikely that anyone would check up on her for some time, if at all. He went back out to the yard to where the body of Charlie Pritchard lay and picked it up, running deep into the forest before depositing it on the ground, knowing the various wildlife within the dense woods would dispose of the flesh and tissue, if not the bones, but by the time the bones were discovered, he, and hopefully Mary, would be long gone from the area.

By the time Bill arrived back at the house, it was approaching 4am, and he knew he would have to go back to the cover of the outbuilding on Mary's property, in which he had been sheltering during the daylight hours, for several days. "Mary?" he called, shaking her gently. "Mary, I have to go now. May I stop in your outhouse again? Mary?" He sighed when she did not respond; although he did not need her permission to stop in the shed, Bill feared that if she recovered enough to go exploring, she might open the door to the building and put him in danger of exposure to sunlight. Bill frowned as he looked at the woman on the bed, her face had gone deathly pale and her breathing was becoming shallow. '_She's not going to last until sundown_,' he worried and he half wondered whether to take her with him to the outhouse, but instead he shook his head and bit his wrist then tilted her chin; squeezing his fist so that droplets of his blood trickled into her mouth.

"Uh? Ugh!" Mary spluttered after a minute or so, her eyes fluttering open then going wide in panic. "No! No, stop!" she gasped, pushing Bill's hand away. "What are you doing?"

"I was not sure you'd last until the evening," he explained. "I need to go now; may I stay in your outbuilding?"

"My...? Is that where you've been?"

"For a few night, yes, Ma'am. I'm sorry."

"I... don't know," she frowned, wishing that she could have a drink of water to get rid of the metallic taste of the blood in her mouth.

"Please, Mary. I need to find shelter, and I do not have a lot of time left. I promise you, I will find somewhere else to stay, just let me stay there for today."

"I-I guess I owe you that much," Mary frowned. "What about Pritchard?" she gasped, suddenly remembering her attacker.

"I have disposed of his body; it won't be traced back here, I promise."

"All right," she nodded, gasping in shock as the vampire disappeared in a rush of wind. "Oh, God..." she shivered once she was alone, and she drew the bedclothes up around her chin for comfort. But in spite of her shock and horror of the past few hours, something in the back of Mary's mind realised that she felt better than she had done for months.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own any characters from the series true Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome – it would be nice to know if people are reading my story and whether they enjoy it or not. And yes, we will be getting to Eric

soon! Ani x

"Ma'am? Mary?" Bill called the following evening as he stood on the verandah, waiting for her reply and being surprised when Mary appeared at the door. "It's good to see you up and about," he smiled.

"Yes," Mary replied vaguely. "Are you going now?"

"Ah... I wondered if I might have a talk with you first?"

Mary frowned as she considered his request. Although she was grateful to the vampire for what he had done for her, a deep rooted suspicion of him would not go away, and she had spent a lot of time during the day staring at the outhouse where he had been holed up, trying to reconcile all that she had heard about vampires with the one standing before her now.

"Mary?"

"Ah... what about?" she asked, wondering if he still needed permission to come into her house or whether, now that she had given it, he could come in anyway.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Oh. I guess you had better come in, then. Can I get you something...? Oh. You can't, can you?"

"I took the liberty of gettin' myself some Tru Blood from the grocers store last night," he smiled as he followed her into the sitting room and sat in the chair.

"So, what's this proposition?" Mary enquired, shifting uneasily on the sofa as his eyes bored into her. '_Stop being so bloody ungrateful_,' she chided herself. '_It's thanks to him you're alive and have more energy than in months!'_

"A few drops of my blood has made you a bit better, hasn't it?"

"Yes..." Mary agreed, unsure as to where the conversation would lead.

"Th'fact is, I need a place to stay; I had to leave my home and I have nowhere to go."

"And you want to stay here?"

"I'm offerin' an exchange; my blood for the chance to stay a while."

"W-what...? I don't want your blood!" Mary spat, distaste written across her features; all though of chastisement gone.

"Think about it, Mary," Bill continued as an argument raged inside him whether to glamour her or not. He'd had a feeling that she would be against the idea of drinking his blood and considered using his power of glamour on her to persuade her to change her mind. But he wanted her to agree without having to use mind control. "Think on how much better you have obviously felt today after just a few drops of my blood. You would be free of the ME; free to live your life again."

Mary opened her mouth to protest some more but hesitated as an argument also raged inside of her. "If people found out that I had a vampire as a lodger... they'd hate me more than they already do!"

"It won't be for long; I hope to return to my home."

"Who drove you out; locals?"

"Local vampires, yes. I cannot return for a while, not until things have calmed down and been forgotten about."

"But you are a vampire; your idea of a while is most peoples idea of a few decades!"

"That is true," he sighed despondently. "Please, Mary; I won't bring trouble to your door, I promise."

"I don't know..." she frowned as she thought of her life over the past couple of years since she was stricken down with the debilitating virus, barely having the energy to walk or even talk on her very worst days, then thinking of how she had felt that day; being able to wash and dress herself, walk about the downstairs of her home, and prepare herself some food without having to pay it all back by being incapacitated for several days, if not weeks. "I have a cellar..."

"You do?" Bill replied in surprise.

"Yeah, with no windows or anything."

"So you agree to it?"

Mary gulped several times and blinked back tears before nodding slowly. "Yes," she whispered hoarsely. "I agree to it."

"Thank you!" he breathed with relief. "I am grateful to you. Do you want to do it now?"

"Umm..." Mary frowned, panic welling up inside her.

"Get it over and done with..." Bill suggested, worried that she would back out if she had too long to think about it.

"Okay," she nodded, gulping as Bill stood rolled up his shirt sleeve and went to bite his arm. "I... I won't...? I dunno," she gabbled, unable to take her eyes off his fangs.

"You have the chance to be free of your illness," Bill soothed as he knelt on the floor in front of her.

"I won't turn into a vampire will I?" Mary demanded, her words spilling out quickly.

"No, of course you won't," he smiled. "That only happens if I drain your blood, then you drink mine. But... it does mean you will be bound to me."

"What do you mean, _bound?"_

"There will always be a bond between us; I shall know how you are feeling, and where you are," Bill explained, thinking it best not to tell her that she would also become sexually attracted to him as well. He knew she was wavering and he could not afford to lose such an ideal place to stay.

"Oh. I see." Mary replied curtly, wishing that she did not feel like a coward. "And is that reciprocated?"

"Yes, in part... but I promise you that it is nothing to worry about. Are you ready?"

"No! Yes..." Mary watched with fascinated horror as Bill went to bite to his wrist once more. "Wait! You will know where I am and how I'm feeling, _always? _Even if we were to go our separate ways in a months time and never see each other again?"

"There is nothing to worry about," Bill repeated. "I promise you."

"You're not trying to glamour me, are you?"

"I would do no such thing," he insisted.

"You're not much of a bloody vampire, are you?"

"Oh, I have been, Ma'am; in my time, I have been."

"So why have you changed?" she demanded.

"Oh..." Bill sighed as he lowered his arm. "I guess there comes a time when even vampires have enough of being bad. Well, _some_ vampires... I have always had an affinity with humanity; something which has led to problems with other vampires at times. I just wanted to settle down to a quiet life."

"But it didn't work out?"

"Not as I'd hoped, no," he sighed sadly. "Now do you want to get this over with, or not?"

"All right; I know I'm stalling."

"Yes, you are," Bill smiled, biting his wrist and quickly offering it to Mary. "Drink," he instructed.

Mary took a deep breath and tentatively closed her lips over the wound, fighting down the urge to gag as she began to suck the blood.

"More," Bill urged. "Take in some more."

"I... can't..." she sobbed, making to pull away, but Bill clamped his free hand to the back of her head and held it in place.

"You must."

Mary screwed her eyes shut and sucked hard at the warm, sticky liquid, trying to disengage her mind to what she was doing, until a minute or so later Bill removed his hand and she pulled away from him quickly, leaping to her feet and running to the kitchen where she thrust her head into the sink, choking and gagging.

"Hey... don't bring it back up now or you'll have to do it again," Bill implored, gently rubbing her back.

"Ugh!" Mary grunted as she began to wash away the blood from around her face, taking copious mouthfuls of water and swilling it around and spitting it out before realising what she was doing and she straightened up, looking shamefaced at the vampire. "I'm sorry,"" she blushed. "I'm an ungrateful cow."

"No you're not," he smiled kindly. "Do you realise what you did? You jumped up and ran out here. I am willing to bet you couldn't even do that earlier today?"

Mary gasped in shock as it sank in that she was cured of her ailment, and stared at Bill in wide eyed wonderment, unsure as to whether to laugh or cry. "Oh, God..." she breathed. "I feel..."

"Normal?"

"Yes! Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!"

"It's my pleasure, Ma'am," Bill smiled, almost shyly. "I'm glad I was able to help you. May I look at your cellar? There may be some things I need that I could get tonight."

"Yes, of course," Mary exhaled, still trying to come to terms with having energy and feeling well for the first time in over two years. "It's just through here." She lead the vampire through the back of the kitchen to a door which she opened and turned on a light switch at the top of a flight of stairs. "It's a decent size," she informed him as they climbed down to another door at the bottom. "Maybe you could use the bed I've been sleeping in from the kitchen?"

"That would be kind of you, thank you," Bill replied as he followed Mary through the bottom door and into the cellar, which, at first glance, was perfect for his needs. "Is there electricity wired down here?"

"Only the light. But I could run a cable down for you if you needed it."

"I would like to have my CD player down here, if that's all right with you?"

"Sure; you want a TV as well?"

"I do not really watch much television."

"Okay," Mary nodded, the high of being cured still buzzing through her body. "Wait a minute... you have stuff with you?"

"I have my car packed up and hidden in the forest. Just things I wanted, or needed."

"Why did you have to leave?"

"I was set up and my sheriff _and _my woman did not believe my innocence," he frowned, hoping that Mary would not ask any further questions.

"A human woman?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Bill," she sympathised. "I know how betrayal feels. But won't this sheriff come looking for you?"

"No; he won't come looking... he will be glad I am gone."

"So why here? We're a fair way from Bon Temps."

"I had to keep finding new places to hide out; this is the longest I've stayed in one place for several weeks now."

"Well, you'd better go and get your car and get moved in."

"I shall do that, thank you, Mary."

"You've done more for me than I have for you."

"Maybe," he shrugged. "But I shall keep to my word and not bring trouble to your door."

"I believe you; I don't know why I do, but I do. Now, while you're gone I shall go upstairs and clean out my bedroom."

"I expect you're looking forward to that?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Mary grinned, turning and leading the way from the cellar.

'_I__ can't believe how I feel_,' Mary mused to herself as she set fire to the bedding in which she had slept for several months, in the yard, watching with grim satisfaction as it burned quickly. She glanced over at where Charlie Pritchard at tried to attack her, and the memory of watching Bill drink away the man's life came flooding back, and she shuddered violently. '_Oh, God... why do I feel I've made a pact with the Devil? Have I done the right thing? I know it's great feeling so well again, but... I dunno.'_

Mary pushed away the thought of Pritchard from her mind and headed back into the house and up the stairs for the first time in over a year, marvelling at how small it seemed from what she remembered. She grimaced in distaste when she opened the bedroom door and saw that Mark, her estranged husband, had not even stripped the bed, and a thick layer of dust lay on the furniture. "Good job I don't feel sleepy," she pondered wryly as she began tugging the clothes off the double bed. '_I__ wonder if Bill really is as nice as he seems? He had a human woman... but then I've heard tales of women who go with vampires... there's been enough of them on Riki Lake, bragging about how wonderful it was!' _Mary stopped and sighed deeply as she caught sight of a photograph of her and Mark on a holiday together in Tampa, and she felt tears well up. "Bastard!" she yelled, hurling a pillow at the picture and sending it crashing to the floor.

"Mary? Are you all right?" came Bill's voice from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, fine!" she snapped as she hastily brushed away her tears, not having expected him back so quickly.

"May I come up?"

"No! I'm fine, honestly. I just caught something as I was stripping the bed."

"All right," he replied doubtfully. "I shall take my things down to the cellar."

"Yeah, you do that," Mary muttered quietly as she walked around the bed and picked the picture up, wincing at the shattered glass. "Just about sums everything up, huh?" she mused, putting the frame down carefully and staring at it for several minutes.

"Mary?"

"Oh, bloody hell! You scared me half to death!" she gasped as she spun around to see Bill hovering in the doorway.

"I am sorry," he apologised. "I was just worried for you when I heard no other sound."

"You're not my keeper, Bill."

"I know that. I am sorry; I will leave you in peace."

"No... I'm sorry; it's just... all too much to take in, you know? My illness, Mark leaving me, Pritchard, you, my being cured... my head is spinning, Bill."

"I understand. Things will settle down again, I promise."

"Settle down with a vampire living under my house?" she snorted ruefully. "Sure beats possums, I guess! Have you got all you need?"

"Apart from a cable, yes," Bill nodded.

"Oh, bugger! I'll go and get it now."

"Please, there is no hurry. I do not have to go down there until around 4am, so there's plenty of time for me to do what I need. Could I give you a hand?"

"No, it's fine really," Mary smiled, cocking her head to one side as she regarded him. "You really are a strange one," she mused.

"Strange in what way?"

"You're very... _gentlemanly_ which is strange in human men, but in vampires...?"

"Not all vampires are are monsters..." Bill defended sharply.

"No! No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that; it came out all wrong. You're... old fashioned for want of a better phrase. How old are you?"

"I was born in 1835."

"So you're..." Mary paused as she quickly worked it out. "_174_?"

"I am," Bill confirmed with a nod.

"Bloody hell! You've seen everything!"

"Almost. Although some things still manage to surprise me."

"Such as?"

"How cruel humans can be to each other. Your husband, for instance."

"Yeah, well..." Mary replied abruptly, turning away so that he did not catch her tears. "I guess I'd better finish this."

Bill frowned then caught sight of the shattered picture and pulled a rueful face. "I am sorry; I was tactless."

"No harm done. You'd better go and sort the cellar out before daylight."

"I had."

Mary sighed when she heard a whoosh of air and turned around to find Bill gone, then covered her face with her hands and bit her lip to keep from crying out loud. "Bastard! Bastard, bastard, bastard!" she spat, picking the picture up and hurling it across the room.

"Are you all right, now?" Bill enquired when Mary appeared in the kitchen some time later, noting her red, puffy eyes, and blotchy face.

"I'm fine, I guess. Let's just say I'm plotting my revenge on the pig."

"Revenge doesn't always make you feel better," he warned as he took a sip from his bottle of Tru Blood.

"I know, and I probably won't; it just makes me feel better plotting it. What does that stuff taste like?"

"Blood."

Mary raised an eyebrow then started to giggle at Bill's crooked smile. "Stupid question, huh?" she laughed. "You can't have _anything_ else?"

"No, because I'm not human, I cannot digest food or liquids."

"Do you miss eating and drinking?"

"I used to, in the beginning. I would smell something delicious and long for it. But the hunger dies away after a while until you forget what it was like to eat or drink, or taste anything other than blood."

"I guess so," Mary replied sadly. "You don't mind if I make myself a cuppa, do you?"

"It's your house, Ma'am. You go right ahead and do whatever it is you want. But I hope that you're not staying up because of me?" he added, glancing at the kitchen clock which told him that it was seventeen minutes past two."

"Are you kidding? I have so much energy I feel I could run a marathon!" she grinned as she filled the kettle.

"Well, I'd watch out for the coyotes, if I were you," Bill smiled. "They might run faster."

"Not tonight they wouldn't! Can I ask you something...?" she began as she sat opposite Bill at the table.

"Of course."

"If... you had the chance of being a human again, would you?"

"I... don't know," he mused, furrowing his brow as he thought. "If I had the chance of never being a vampire in the first place, I would jump at it."

"So you weren't willing then? I'm sorry!" she immediately apologised, seeing the look of distress on her companions face. "It's none of my business. I'll make this tea then run myself a bath."

"You do not have to leave. It _is_ your home."

"I'm not; I _do_ want a bath, but... I guess house sharing with a vampire is gonna take a little getting used to."

"As is house sharing with a human."

"So you didn't share with your woman? Sorry!" Mary winced. "I'm doing it again."

"It is all right. Sookie and I would stay at each others place, but we kept our own houses."

"I'm sorry, Bill," Mary sympathised, giving his arm a squeeze as she got up and went past him to the stove to make her drink. "It ain't easy."

"No, it is not," he agreed. "I found a cable in the shed; is it all right to use?"

"Yeah, that was the one I was going to get you anyway. Have you tested it?"

"I have; it works fine."

"Okay, well I'll see you in the mor... tomorrow night."

"Have a good day."

"And you, I'll try not to disturb you."

"I doubt that you will, and as long as you close the top door, you would be able to come down to the cellar if you wanted to. I usually rest until mid-afternoon."

"I might pop down and say hi, then," Mary nodded, raising her mug of tea to him. "Night, and thanks."

"No, thank _you_."


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own any characters from the series true Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

Many thanks to Sam and murgatroid-98 for your reviews – they are appreciated.

**Chapter Three**

"Bill? Do you want any Tru Blood? I'm just going to the store."

"You can come in, if you want?" came the vampire's voice from inside the cellar.

Mary glanced over her shoulder to check the top door was firmly shut before opening the bottom door and slipping inside, squinting in the gloomy light. "So, do you want any?" she repeated as he stood up from the bed which he had been lying on.

"I would appreciate it, thank you. Let me pay for it...?" he offered, looking Mary up and down and realising that she was quite attractive now that she was washed and dressed, her mousy brown, shoulder length hair scraped back into a ponytail, his blood lending her a healthy glow.

"No! I reckon that stingy bastard owes me at least fifty dollars worth of groceries, and if he whinges about it, I shall threaten him with head office! Do you have any preference?"

"O neg. if he has some, but if not, I don't mind none."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"You be careful. It's been a while since you drove, I'm guessing."

"I'll be fine; I'm in more danger from the deer than other traffic around these parts."

"You're not likely to bump into your husband in Cahors, are you?"

"Good idea; I'll load the shotgun..." Mary winked, laughing as she turned and opened the door once more. "Laters!"

Bill sat down on the edge of the bed after Mary had closed the door behind her and shook his head slowly, musing at how things had turned out. '_But it isn't home,_' he thought as he looked around the small cellar, bare except for the bed, his CD player and discs, and a pile of books. '_Will I ever go back? How long will she tolerate me here? How is Sookie? Jessica?' _But Bill shrugged; his long years had taught him patience and he knew that he needed it now, more than ever. He _would_ return to Bon Temps one day, he was determined.

"Well, well, well... lookee who's showed up," Trey Clent sneered as Mary strode through his store. "I thought you was invalid, like?"

"And now I ain't!" Mary replied, putting on a broad southern drawl. "Well, would you look at that! Just two days after you deliver my order, you have a load of bread delivered! Well ain't that typical?"

"You takin' th'piss?" Trey demanded crossly. "If y'are, y'can git outta my store right now!"

"Oh no I won't!" Mary rejoined, reverting back to her usual accent of half English, half Dixie. "For the last two months you have left me close to starvation with what you didn't deliver _and_ kept the money for, so you owe me, Trey Clent, and don't you even _think _about protesting or I'll be on to your head office so damned fast, your head'll spin!"

Mary turned around and began loading supplies into her trolley, mentally keeping a check on how much it was costing so that she did not exceed the fifty dollars owed. "This'll be all, along with a crate of O neg. Tru Blood."

"T-Tru...? B-but that's vampire shit!"

"That's right. Good job I didn't come at night and really put the frighteners on you, huh?"

"Y-you're a-a vampire...?" he stammered, backing away from the counter.

"It's daylight, you bloody idiot! Of course I'm not!"

"S-so...?"

"None of your damned business. Don't worry, I shall be taking my custom elsewhere from now on, and not _pollute_ your precious store any longer!"

"Good riddance!" Trey spat, his courage returning as Mary began walking towards the door. "I ain't servin' no fangbanger!"

"Fang...? Oh my God!" Mary laughed as she left the building, giggling and shaking her head to herself. "Fangbanger! I like that!" she chuckled as she loaded the groceries into the trunk of her car. "He is kinda good looking," she mused out loud, her thoughts switching to the vampire who had come to her rescue. "No! Don't even think that; that is _so_ what you don't need right now. Even if he was human..." Shaking her head, Mary climbed into the car and drove away. _'What am I going to do about Bill though? He can't stay in the cellar forever, and I'm not sure I want him to anyway... God, you ungrateful bitch! You agreed to the deal and he honoured his side, now you honour yours!'_

"Bill? Bill, can I come down?" Mary called as she opened the top door to the cellar

"Of course you may. Don't forget to close the door behind you."

"Hi," she smiled as she opened the bottom door and hoisted up the crate of Tru Blood, carrying it in to the cellar. "Sorry I took so long."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Bill nodded as she put the crate down on the floor by the bed, surreptitiously taking in her too slim body, clad in tight jeans and a tank top with spaghetti straps.

"I was thinking I might bring one of the armchairs down here for you to sit on; can't be very comfy sitting on the bed."

"You are too kind."

"Yeah well, you coulda just left me, so I owe you one," she evaded, hoping her face did not betray her guilt. "What the hell is that music?"

"It is called Bocet; it's a Romanian lament."

"Yeah... sounds like someone's dying," Mary snorted. "I guess you hate modern stuff, huh?"

"Some of what you were playing earlier was... _interesting_," Bill replied as politely as he could.

"Ha! It was a bloody row, you mean?"

"I _do_ like some modern music, although not much. I would rather listen to something soothing than something that assaults my ears."

"You're an old fuddy duddy, you mean?" Mary teased. "How old are you in vampire terms?"

"A teenager," Bill chuckled, "so I guess I should be listening to loud music. How did you get on at the store?"

"Okay, I guess. The bastard didn't say much, not that I gave him chance to. Nearly wet himself when I asked for the Tru Blood. Thought I was a vampire until I reminded him that it was broad daylight."

"But it means he knows you have a vampire here."

"Ah... yeah, it does," Mary winced. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Is there likely to be trouble?"

"I really don't know," she frowned. "Probably not, but you never know in places like this. Sorry, I know you're from these parts."

"Yes I am, and I know just how narrow minded people can be."

"I can always pretend that I was taunting him, making him think I have a vampire in my cellar?"

"But I bought some a couple of nights ago, remember?"

"Bugger!" Mary cursed. "Why didn't I think?"

"I'm sure it will not matter," Bill assured her. "People by and large leave us well alone."

"Yeah, maybe," Mary sighed, smiling as he squeezed her bare shoulder sympathetically, and biting down her shock as she realised that she enjoyed the contact. "Well, I guess I'd better carry on cleaning upstairs. Yell if there's anything you need."

"I doubt there will be, but thank you," Bill smiled. "See you later."

"Yeah, laters."

Mary carefully closed the top door and looked around the kitchen, deciding that she would give it a thorough clean and she filled up a pan and put it on the stove before hunting out some bleach, cloths and rubber gloves. '_He is a vampire_.' she thought, stopping dead and wondering why she had suddenly thought that before admitting to herself that she felt unsettled, especially after he had touched her. '_You're gonna have to sleep with him in the house, or at least having access to the house. You gonna cope with that? Do you trust him in spite of what he's done for you? Dammit, Mare! You're only feeling like this because you haven't had sex in two fucking years! He is good looking...'_ a voice taunted her. '_And those slags on telly reckon vampire sex is the best they've ever known... stop it! I am not bloody well having sex with Bill!'_

Physically shaking herself, Mary poured some of the hot water from the pan into a bucket and squirted a generous load of bleach into it. '_You want him...'_ the voice taunted. "No I fucking well don't!" she shouted out loud. '_Damn this!'_ she thought as she went into the living room and found her MP3 player, clipping it to a belt loop on her jeans and pushing the plugs into her ears and switching it on, turning the volume up loud. '_I will not think of having sex with a bloody vampire!'_

"_Yeah, here comes the water_

_It's come to wash away the sins of you and I_

_This time you see_

_Like Holy Water_

_It only burns you faster than you'll ever dry_

_This time with me..."_

(Slither; Velvet Revolver)

"Oh! Bloody hell, Bill!" Mary gasped as she spun in time to the music, to find herself under close scrutiny from the vampire, leaning against the door frame between the kitchen and living rooms. "It's never that time already?" she queried, turning the music off.

"It is," he confirmed, jerking his head to the window and the darkness outside. "You have a nice voice."

"Oh gawd, you've had to listen to my caterwauling for the last few hours, huh?" she blushed. "Sorry, I get carried away when I have this on."

"There is no need to apologise," he smiled. "As I say, you have a nice voice."

"Yeah, well... you going out now then?"

"No? Why, do you wish me to?" Bill frowned.

"Ah, no! No, I just assumed you would be off out while you have the chance," Mary replied quickly, wishing her heart would stop hammering. '_Please go out!' _she implored silently, not wanting or trusting herself to be alone with him, then remembered that he could now tell how she was feeling, and she felt a blush creep up her face. '_Bloody hell! I am never going to get through this!'_

"I do not socialise much, especially in a strange place. But if you want me to go, then I shall."

"No, really, it's okay. I guess I'd better do myself something to eat then."

"Do you require any help?"

"No; I'm only going to make spaghetti bolognese. Pity you can't have some, I make a mean spag bol!" she grinned as she went past him and into the kitchen, taking care not to make any contact with him.

"I am sure you do," he agreed, turning to watch her and smiling inwardly at her agitation. "I have never seen the appeal of paella, though. It looks... unappetising."

"Like someone chucked up, you mean?" Mary chuckled. "I like good paella, but it's not a favourite."

"All we had was stew, roasts, and pies," he smiled as he reminisced. "None of this fancy food."

"We used to go round to my Grandmother's for Sunday dinner. I'd hate it because you had to eat every last scrap of food on your plate."

"Did your family come over when you became ill?"

"My Dad took off when I was young, and we never heard from him again; my Mom died of cancer when I was seventeen," Mary explained as she began preparing her meal. " I guess that's why I joined the army; I needed to belong somewhere."

"I am sorry, Mary," Bill frowned. "It can't have been easy for you."

"Nothing ever is!" she snorted softly, pulling a sad face. "But I guess I'm better off than a lot of people, eh? Did you have family?"

"I did; a daughter and a son."

"Did you see them after you were turned? Did they know about you?"

"I saw them briefly, from a distance, but to all intents and purposes, I died in the war."

"War? You were a soldier?"

"Yes, I was; I fought for the South in the Civil War, and was returning home, when..."

"Oh God, Bill!" Mary gasped, automatically reaching out and touching his arm. "I'm so sorry. That must have been heartbreaking."

"Yes," he sighed, looking down to the floor. "It was; the pain is still there even after all of these years."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been prying."

"I do not mind," he smiled, looking up at her. "I talk to Sookie quite a lot about my family."

"Can I ask something?"

"Of course."

"What happened; why were you driven out and why didn't Sookie believe you?"

"I was set up. Somehow, someone made it look like I had killed a vampire when I had not."

"How?"

"They sent the sheriff of Area 5 video footage of me killing another vampire, which was bad enough, but I had killed one vampire before, while defending Sookie. I tried to convince Eric that I had not killed the second one, and to his credit, although he did not entirely believe me, he did not entirely disbelieve me either. He advised that I leave the area. I tried to persuade Sookie to come with me, but she would not. She told me that she could not trust me."

"Oh. Bloody hell. Are you far enough away to be safe?"

"Probably not," he shrugged. "A hundred miles or thereabouts isn't much I suppose. If you want me to leave, I will understand, Mary."

"Why would I want you to leave? Where would you go?"

"I am a vampire; I have just admitted to killing one of my kind, and could possibly have killed another, if you don't believe what I have just told you. I killed Pritchard right in front of your eyes... why would you _possibly_ want me to stay?"

"You are a vampire, yes. You have been one for many, many years, and have killed who knows how many people in that time. I knew all that the minute I knew what you were, and yet I still trusted you, and you still took care of me when I needed it most. You have given me no reason not to trust you so far, Bill, and while there's a risk that you could just be using me so you have a safe place to hide, and could kill me as soon as I have served my purpose, I don't think you will."

Bill frowned and looked to the floor again before slowly raising his head and looking Mary in the eyes. "I thank you, Ma'am," he replied in a tight voice. "I do appreciate it. If you do not mind, I will take some air?"

"Well, you don't breathe, but of course I don't mind," Mary smiled as she watched Bill go through the sitting room and out of the front door. '_Life sure is weird at times_,' she mused as she dished up the spaghetti bolognese and carried it over to the table, mulling over all that Bill had told her as she ate. '_It's almost like he has feelings, but surely he can't, can he?'_

"What the hell're you doing?"

_'Oh, shit!'_ Mary groaned inwardly as she heard the angry voice of her estranged husband and fought down the urge to jump to her feet and confront him as he burst through the living room to the kitchen.

"Eating my tea, if that's all right with you?" Mary replied sarcastically. "Besides, what the fuck is it to you what the hell I do after the way you left me, Mark Schneider?"

"I couldn't bear seeing you like this any more!" he protested, shifting uneasily on his feet.

"Oh, right... which is why you left me to starve to death, huh? Or maybe you hoped that Pritchard would do the dirty deed first?"

"What the hell're you talkin' about?" Mark yelled. "I left you money! An' I didn't know Pritchard would come after you... hey, do you know anything about his disappearance?"

"How could I, Mark? I'm incapacitated, remember? And you left me to starve because you left me barely any money to live on, you scumbag! And talking of which..." Unable to help herself, Mary sprang up and stood face to face with her spouse. "How the fuck did you know Pritchard came after me, huh?"

"You implied that he came here... I see you're fully fit now!" he sneered, changing the subject. "I knew you was fakin' it; I just knew it!"

"You bastard!" Mary hissed, slapping him hard across the face. "I was not faking it and you know it."

"So how d'you explain the miraculous recovery, huh?"

"I drank vampire blood."

"You...? Yeah, right!" he snorted, throwing his head back and laughing loudly. "Vampire blood, my ass!"

"Like you said, how do you explain the miraculous recovery?"

"'Cos ya weren't ill in th'first place, is why!"

"Oh, she was... she was _very_ ill," a voice drawled from behind him, and Mark Schneider spun on his heel, going almost as pale as the man standing in front of him, his eyes cold and angry.

"W-who are y-you?" Mark spluttered.

"This is Bill Compton, my lodger."

"Hey! This is forestry property; you ain't allowed ter have lodgers. In fact, you ain't allowed to live here no longer!" Mark protested, spinning back round to face Mary and temporarily forgetting Bill.

"Right, so you're going to get in touch with your boss and tell him that you're living with that slapper in Cahors and not here, and have been for the past two months, is that it?"

"I... I..." Mark frowned, looking from Mary to Bill and back again. "I want to talk to you alone."

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Bill; he'll only hear you anyway."

"W-what? H-how...?"

"I am a vampire; the vampire that saved Mary's life," Bill replied, still not taking his eyes off the man.

"You're... _what?_ You're a fuckin' fangbanger?" he yelled at his estranged wife. "You fuckin' slut! I thought Trey was jokin' me when he said you bought some of that Tru Blood crap!"

"I would be _very_ careful what you say, if I were you," Bill warned as he took a step towards Mark. "Mary has been most generous to me and I do not take kindly to her being treated like this."

"I bet she's been generous!" Mark sneered, blanching as Bill grabbed him by the lapels.

"_Bill!"_ Mary screamed. "_No!"_

Bill looked at Mark and smirked before shoving him away. "I wasn't going to do anything, Mary, don't you worry."

"I-I don't believe yer a vampire anyway!" Mark taunted, trying to act unconcerned.

"Good God, you really _are_ thick, aren't you?" Mary sighed, steeling herself not to react again as Bill bared his fangs at the other man. "Do you want further proof, Mark, or will that suffice?"

"I guess that sufficed," Bill mused as Mark turned tail and ran from the house.

"I guess," Mary replied, trying to force a smile. "I-I'm sorry I yelled..."

"I would not have done anything to him, I assure you," Bill smiled. "I just wanted to frighten him."

"I know, it's just... after... well..."

"Pritchard had a dark heart."

"Maybe so, but I feel kinda uncomfortable with you acting as judge and juror."

"I am sorry, Mary. My only excuse is that instinct kicked in."

"I'm gonna report ya, Mary!" Mark called from outside. "An' I'm gonna have you evicted, you fuckin' bitch!"

"Well I am going to screw you for all I fucking well can, Mark!" Mary yelled as she hurried outside to confront him. "I have grounds for unreasonable behaviour and I fully intend to pursue it!"

"And what about you and _that_?" he rejoined, casting a worried glance over as Bill appeared in the doorway.

"Even if I _was_ involved with Bill, relationships between humans and vampires is _not _ illegal!"

"It's fucking immoral!"

"Immoral?" Mary gasped incredulously. "You leave your desperately ill wife to shack up with some slapper, and you lecture _me_ about morals?"

"At least Emmy-Sue is human! And it didn't take _you_ long to shack up with... _him!"_

Mary stood and sighed heavily as her estranged husband jumped into the truck and threw it into gear, speeding off in a cloud of dust, still shouting and cursing at her as he went. Her shoulders sagged as the vehicle disappeared from sight and she felt a sob rising from her throat.

"I am sorry," Bill apologised as he approached her, frowning as he saw her body shake from stifled sobs. "I guess I did not help matters any?"

"Doesn't matter," Mary replied in a strangled voice, her distress finally released as Bill put his arms around her and comforted her as she wept.

Yes! I promise Eric will appear – possibly in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own any characters from the series true Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

Okay, so I lied at the end of the last chapter – there is still no Eric for at least another two chapters, but I promise after that, he's in it all the time! Also I apologise for the layout of the story - FFnet won't let me save the changes so everything is bunched together *sigh*

**Chapter four**

"Are you sure about this?"

Mary paused from packing her clothes into a suitcase and looked up at Bill, hovering in the door of her bedroom holding a crash helmet. "Yes, I'm sure; we will need the money that bike will bring." She wondered if the vampire motel that Bill had stayed in briefly a few weeks ago just outside of Haynesville, charged normal rates, or whether it was more expensive than regular motels.

"You do not have to look after me, you know. I shall be all right."

"Bill, let's just get to Oxten Falls before dawn, _then_ we can sort out the whys and wherefores, hmm? You've got the bike's documentation, yes?"

"Right here," he nodded, patting the breast pocket of his jacket. "And yes, I can forge his signature."

"You remember the way back?"

"Mary, would you stop worrying and finish packing? I shall be back soon."

"All right," Mary nodded, jumping as Bill vanished with a whoosh of air, and she heard the roar of the motorbike almost instantly. She bit her lip, hoping that Bill would be able to get at least ten thousand dollars for her husbands pride and joy; a Triumph TSS 750, which he'd had shipped over from England when they married. '_What if Mark finds out? He'll kill me. Yeah? Well he's gotta find me first!'_ Shaking herself, Mary continued packing, pushing away memories that certain items brought flooding back to her. '_Dammit, Mark!'_ she thought, wiping away a tear. '_Why did you change so much?'_ She shut the suitcase and carefully fastened it, shoving the lid down several times as she tugged the zip around until it was safely closed, then she hauled it off the bed and dragged it down the stairs, grateful for the strength she still had from drinking Bill's blood.

"Dunno why I bothered cleaning it up," she mused out loud as she reached the bottom of the stairs and glanced in to the spotless living room. "I've a mind to trash the place before I go..." Mary put the case into the trunk of Bill's car, and leaned against it briefly, looking at the wooden house that had been her home for the past six years before shaking her head and going back inside to fetch more of her belongings that she did not want left behind, and cramming them into the trunk, along with the few things Bill had. She had debated whether to go in her own car and follow Bill, but she did not think that her car would make the hundred and thirty mile journey to Oxten Falls and the motel that catered for vampires, especially not having to go at speed. Mary jumped as her phone rang and she pulled it out of her back pocket.

"Yes?"

"Mary, I am not going to make it back to you in time, so will you pick me up from the garage on the Cahors road?" Bill enquired.

"There's not a problem, is there?" she worried.

"No, I could only get eight thousand for the bike, but he can give us cash, so I accepted, and he just getting the money together now. Is that all right with you?"

"That's fine. Are you sure he believes you?"

"Yes Ma'am," Bill smiled to himself, recalling just how easy it had been to glamour the garage owner. "He believed every word I said."

"Okay, well I've nearly finished here so I will head out as soon as I'm done."

"I will see you shortly, then."

'_Things are going too easy,'_ she mused when the call ended. '_I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing... I'll stay at the motel until I'm rested then go and find somewhere for me to stay. Come on, Mare! You don't have time for daydreaming; or least Bill doesn't!'_ Shaking herself mentally, Mary ran back into the house and gathered up the last of her belongings before dashing back out, scarcely giving the house and its memories a backward glance as she jumped into the car and sped off in the direction of Cahors. '_Maybe Mark was bluffing...,'_ she pondered as she sped along the road. '_Maybe we're running before we need to?' _But Mary recalled the look of disgust and horror in her estranged husbands eyes and knew that she was not over-reacting in leaving in such a hurry. '_No. We're not.'_

"Oh! Jesus H. Christ!" Mary swore when she was about halfway to her destination, and she slammed on the brakes, gripping the steering wheel as the car screeched to a halt just inches from where Bill was standing in the middle of the road. "You fucking do that again, William Compton...!" she screamed as she leapt from the vehicle.

"And you'll kill me?" he chuckled as he got in the passenger seat.

"There are ways and means, even for vampires, you bastard!"

"I apologise. I did not mean to scare you."

"Well you bloody well did," she grumbled as she returned to the car and started off again, shooting her companion a sideways look. "Bill... what if we don't make it in time...?"

"I shall look for somewhere I can hide out, but if the worst comes to the worst, I will bury myself in the ground."

"Oh. Okay."

"It will not be the first time I have had to do that, and probably won't be the last in my lifetime. But we will make it; there are still eight hours to go until dawn."

"Yes, I just like a back-up plan, you know?"

"As do I," he agreed. "The garage owner was kind enough to throw in an extra thousand dollars; he felt he was ripping you off with only eight."

"Did he indeed...?" Mary mused, again looking sideways at Bill. "Did you glamour him?"

"I did," the vampire admitted, having the good grace to look a little shamefaced. "He was only prepared to offer six thousand."

"_Six?"_ Mary echoed. "Jesus! If I had time, I'd go and give the crook a piece of my mind!"

"So you are not angry with me?"

"No, of course I'm not. Thanks, Bill."

"I should be thanking you; you did not need to come with me."

"You admitted that you could not afford to stay at the motel for long before; Mark would have reported me to the forestry, so I'm just killing two birds with one stone and doing something that works for both of us. What's this motel like?"

"Ah... I am not sure you will like it. It has rooms above the ground, and obviously, rooms below. It is pretty basic."

"And I won't like it because...?"

"Most of the vampires who use it, use it for sex, and... blood."

"They kill people there, you mean?" Mary frowned.

"It has happened, I believe. But the current owner is trying to clean the place up; make it respectable... or at least, as respectable as a vampire motel is going to be."

"Is the current owner human?"

"No, a vampire with a human business partner."

"It's a good premise, I guess," she mused. "I can see a whole host of ventures starting up to cater for vampires."

"Yes. "There are hotels and motels; malls are staying open all night," Bill informed her. "And airlines have started offering flights in sealed planes. Guaranteed night time take off and offloading,"

"I might take you to England one day!" Mary laughed. "Show you the sights!"

"If the sights see fit to open during the night," he pointed out.

"God, the Tower of London would be awesome at night!"

"I would like to see it," Bill smiled. "I have never been out of the States in the whole of my existence. Where have you been?"

The rest of the journey was spent with Mary telling tales of her travels; of her tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and her and Mark's adventures backpacking around the world before they got married.

"Hurry, Bill!" Mary urged, glancing at the clock and feeling her stomach flip at the time: 3:35am, and the sky was beginning to lighten considerably.

"It is just a few miles along the highway, we're nearly there," he assured her, smiling to himself as he sensed her panic.

"Yes, well hurry!"

Bill cast a glance up to the sky, pulling a face as he realised just how light it was becoming, and suddenly Mary's fear did not seem so unwarranted, and he pushed his foot to the floor, covering the remaining miles in a flash.

"What if they have no room?" Mary worried as they pulled into the car park and came to a stop outside the reception.

"I'll double up with another vampire; you can have a room above," Bill replied as he sped into the building.

"Number four," the receptionist intoned before he had a chance to open his mouth, having guessed the reason for his haste. "Seventy dollars per night..."

"Yes, I know," Bill replied curtly, handing over the money and snatching the key from her hand. "Number four," he called to Mary before running along the walkway that ran in front of the doors until he came to the one he had booked and opened it quickly, disappearing inside with a sigh of relief.

'Thank_ God for that!'_ Mary breathed as she parked the car up in the allotted space then followed him at a more leisurely pace, looking up at the pale dawn sky. "Bill?" she called when she reached the door to their room. "Can I open it?"

"Yes," came his muffled reply.

"Idiot!" she chided herself as she belatedly noticed an intercom unit at the side of the door. She looked along the row of doors, wondering what sort of beings were staying behind them, but pushed them from her mind as she opened the door and stepped inside, locking the door behind her before walking down the stairs. "Are you okay?" she enquired when she reached the bottom and opened the door.

"I am all right," Bill smiled as she entered the room. "Although that was cutting it a little fine..."

"Damn right it was!" Mary sighed, catching Bill's eyes then grinning as he began to chuckle. "Bloody hell, that's several more grey hairs!"

"I do not get grey hairs..."

"Bastard!" she muttered jokingly, bobbing her tongue out at him.

"I do not think you have to worry about grey hairs for a few years yet," he smiled.

"Bloody charmer!" Mary snorted, but without malice. "If you don't mind, I'm going to crash a while; I'm dead."

"Not as dead as I am..."

"Oh ha bloody ha! Quite the joker, aren't you? Do you sleep, or...?"

"Or..." he nodded. "I am not alive when I _sleep, _but I do wake up and can stay awake, but I need at least four hours rest each day. I will take the chair," he offered.

Mary looked about the spartan room, raising an eyebrow at the simple furnishings consisting of a double bed with a small table each side, a single armchair, a sideboard with a microwave on top, and a rail to hang clothes on, with a small en suite at the end of the room. "They went overboard, didn't they?" she commented sarcastically.

"It is functional, what more do you need?"

"I guess so. Are you sure about the chair? I don't mind sharing..." '_What in God's name did you say that for?'_ a voice screamed at her. '_Jeez! Talk about being bloody stupid!'_

"I am quite comfortable in the chair, I promise," Bill replied, sensing her panic. "You rest; you look like you need it."

"Okay, thanks," she smiled gratefully, tugging off her boots and flopping down on the the bed, suddenly too tired to care if Bill shared with her or not. All she was concerned with at that moment was sleeping.

'_God, that was a weird dream...'_

Mary frowned as she became aware of her surroundings and realised that she was not at her home, and she shot up with a start, looking wildly around the room until her eyes rested on the figure in the chair.

"Hello," Bill smiled. "I did not wake you, did I?"

"N-no..." Mary stumbled as she struggled to clear her muddled head. "I had a dream; or at least I thought it was a dream. What time is it?"

"Just after eleven," he replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks. God, I feel like I've been on a campaign for a few weeks and had no sleep!" Gingerly, Mary eased her stiff body from the bed and stretched languidly. "I'm famished! Do they have a café here?"

"No, I believe there is a diner down the street, though. Before you go, could you bring my CD player down, and some discs?"

"Yeah, of course," Mary nodded, catching the car keys as Bill threw them over to her and padding across to the door. "Anything else you want out while I'm there?"

"No, just some Tru Blood when you go out."

"Sure," she agreed as she opened the door and closed it carefully before heading up to ground level, blinking rapidly in the strong sunlight.

"When'd you get in?" a voice enquired from behind her, and Mary spun to face a man of around thirty in a check shirt and jeans, regarding her closely.

"A few hours ago. My friend needed a place to stay."

"Ah. Yeah, we get a lot of that. I'm Adam Lovell; I help run this motel."

"Ah, the human side of the partnership?"

"How'd you know?" he frowned, his curiosity piqued.

"My friend, Bill, stayed here a few weeks ago."

"Bill Compton?"

"Yes, you remember him?"

"Yes... my partner nearly had fits when he turned up, scared that Bill would bring the Sheriff down here. So he's back then?"

"Yeah... I got kicked out of my home, not because of Bill, and we had to head here. Been driving most of the night."

"That's a shame," Adam sympathised. "So, you know Bill well then?"

"No, I only met him a couple of days ago. It's kinda complicated, but we're not in any trouble, I assure you."

"Hey! It's none of my concern," he shrugged, "so long as you don't bring Eric Northman here."

"Why? Does he cause trouble for you?"

"Not trouble as such... he's has a hotel attached to his nightclub, and we're kinda worried about the competition. Stuart is scared that he'll come and pinch all our best ideas and ruin us in the process. He may be their sheriff but he's as hard a nosed businessman as any I've ever come across."

"With all due respect, if our room is anything to go by, he won't have too many ideas to pinch. I know you cater for vampires, but... well humans are paying customers as well, you know."

"I know, and it is something we are addressing, I can assure you. How long're you staying?"

"No idea at the moment. Bill may stay longer than me."

"Well, enjoy your time here, and nice to have met you."

"Thanks, you too," Mary smiled, watching as Adam walked to the reception office before opening the trunk and pulling stuff out before finally reaching Bill's CD player. '_I might just as well take it all down,'_ she mused, carrying several small items along with the player, to their room.

"Who were you talking to?" Bill enquired when she opened the bottom door.

"Adam Lovell; he remembers you from before."

"Well, it was only a few weeks ago. Why not leave unpacking the car until after you've eaten?"

"Because I had to get everything out in order to reach this," Mary sighed as she handed over his machine. "I'll bring the CD's down on my next trip. I don't know how you can bear not being able to go out when you want; not seeing the sun."

"It is not something I think about any more," Bill shrugged. "It is as it is."

"Maybe," she pondered as she headed back out of the door. '_I'd still hate it though_,' she added silently.

"Right, I'll see you just now," Mary announced when she had finally brought everything down to the room. "You want O neg. Tru Blood?"

"If they have some, yes please," Bill nodded. "If not..."

"...you don't mind none," she finished with a chuckle. "I won't be long."

"Take as long as you want, although there isn't much to see here."

"Just your average Louisiana backwater, huh?"

"No, this place is actually more boring."

"Great! Less trouble to get into, I guess," Mary mused as she headed out of the door. "Laters!"


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own any characters from the series true Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

Double dose today, just because...

**Chapter five**

'_God, that was a weird dream...'_

Mary frowned as she became aware of her surroundings and realised that she was not at her home, and she shot up with a start, looking wildly around the room until her eyes rested on the figure in the chair.

"Hello," Bill smiled. "I did not wake you, did I?"

"N-no..." Mary stumbled as she struggled to clear her muddled head. "I had a dream; or at least I thought it was a dream. What time is it?"

"Just after nine," he replied.

"Yeah, thanks. God, I feel like I've been on a campaign for a few weeks and had no sleep!" Gingerly, Mary eased her stiff body from the bed and stretched languidly. "I'm famished! Do they have a café here?"

"No, I believe there is a diner down the street, though. Before you go, could you bring my CD player down, and some discs?"

"Yeah, of course," Mary nodded, catching the car keys as Bill threw them over to her and padding across to the door. "Anything else you want out while I'm there?"

"No, just some Tru Blood when you go out."

"Sure," she agreed as she opened the door and closed it carefully before heading up to ground level, blinking rapidly in the strong sunlight.

"When'd you get in?" a voice enquired from behind her, and Mary spun to face a man of around thirty in a check shirt and jeans, regarding her closely.

"A few hours ago. My friend needed a place to stay."

"Ah. Yeah, we get a lot of that. I'm Adam Lovell; I help run this motel."

"Ah, the human side of the partnership?"

"How'd you know?" he frowned, his curiosity piqued.

"My friend, Bill, stayed here a few weeks ago."

"Bill Compton?"

"Yes, you remember him?"

"Yes... my partner nearly had fits when he turned up, scared that Bill would bring the Sheriff down here. So he's back then?"

"Yeah... I got kicked out of my home, not because of Bill, and we had to head here. Been driving most of the night."

"That's a shame," Adam sympathised. "So, you know Bill well then?"

"No, I only met him a couple of days ago. It's kinda complicated, but we're not in any trouble, I assure you."

"Hey! It's none of my concern," he shrugged, "so long as you don't bring Eric Northman here."

"Why? Does he cause trouble for you?"

"Not trouble as such... he's just opened a hotel attached to his nightclub, and we're kinda worried about the competition. Stuart is scared that he'll come and pinch all our best ideas and ruin us in the process. He may be their sheriff but he's as hard a nosed businessman as any I've ever come across."

"With all due respect, if our room is anything to go by, he won't have too many ideas to pinch. I know you cater for vampires, but... well humans are paying customers as well, you know."

"I know, and it is something we are addressing, I can assure you. How long're you staying?"

"No idea at the moment. Bill may stay longer than me."

"Well, enjoy your time here, and nice to have met you."

"Thanks, you too," Mary smiled, watching as Adam walked to the reception office before opening the trunk and pulling stuff out before finally reaching Bill's CD player. '_I might just as well take it all down,'_ she mused, carrying several small items along with the player, to their room.

"Who were you talking to?" Bill enquired when she opened the bottom door.

"Adam Lovell; he remembers you from before."

"Well, it was only a few weeks ago. Why not leave unpacking the car until after you've eaten?"

"Because I had to get everything out in order to reach this," Mary sighed as she handed over his machine. "I'll bring the CD's down on my next trip. I don't know how you can bear not being able to go out when you want; not seeing the sun."

"It is not something I think about any more," Bill shrugged. "It is as it is."

"Maybe," she pondered as she headed back out of the door. '_I'd still hate it though_,' she added silently.

"Right, I'll see you just now," Mary announced when she had finally brought everything down to the room. "You want O neg. Tru Blood?"

"If they have some, yes please," Bill nodded. "If not..."

"...you don't mind none," she finished with a chuckle. "I won't be long."

"Take as long as you want, although there isn't much to see here."

"Just your average Louisiana backwater, huh?"

"No, this place is actually more boring."

"Great! Less trouble to get into, I guess," Mary mused as she headed out of the door. "Laters!"

**The following day**

"That has to be the funniest thing!" Mary exclaimed when she came out of the en suite after having a shower, to see Bill holding a game controller in his hand, and concentrating on the TV in the corner of the room.

"What?" he frowned, trying to keep his concentration.

"You're a vampire and you have a better Wii golf handicap than my human husband did!"

Bill sighed and paused the game, knowing he would not get much peace to continue. "And what is strange about that?" he puzzled, turning to face her and unconsciously brushing a damp strand of her from her face.

"You've lived for the best part of two hundred years and you're as much a gaming addict as the best of them!" she laughed, trying not to react at the contact.

"It helps pass the time."

"Do you have a console rigged up in your cellar?"

"I do not have a cellar. I rest beneath the floorboards."

"And do what?" Mary gasped.

"Listen to music, read... there is no room to do anything else."

"Oh. You're a masochist, William Compton!"

"I do want to get a cellar built, but... well, I cannot find anyone to do the work.

"There are no vampire builders?"

"Well yes, but they're even more unreliable than their human counterparts! I shall see when I return home. I need somewhere for me and Jessica to stay."

"Jessica?"

"She is my progeny. She is but a child and I like to keep an eye on her, although it is not always easy."

"Your...? I thought you...? Never mind."

"Thought I what?"

"I dunno," Mary evaded, moving away from him. "It doesn't matter."

"You are shocked that I turned her?"

"Yes. I didn't think you were the type to, especially a child."

"Jessica is not a child!" he defended hotly. "She... was seventeen when I made her."

"Why, Bill? Why did you _make_ her?"

"You remember the vampire I told you I killed? Turning Jessica was my punishment for it. The usual punishment is being locked in a casket bound with silver chains for five years, but the Magister had other ideas for me."

"Why?"

Bill sighed and nodded towards the bed, beginning to realise that Mary could be like a dog with a bone. "Make yourself comfortable," he suggested, continuing once Mary had sat on the bed and he sat in the chair. "I had never been a maker, I never mingled much with other vampires, preferring humans. I was something of an oddity and I guess the Magister wanted to make an example of me. Although it sounds callous, Jessica revels in her life since she turned. Her parents were strict Christians and she has a lot more freedom now, more than she should. I am not a very good parent." Bill had the good grace to look slightly shamefaced at the confession.

"So who is looking after her now?"

"Eric said he would find someone to take her under their wing while I am away; I just hope he found someone decent..."

Eric is sheriff, right? Is he going to investigate the murder of the other vampire?"

"He said that he would look into it, but..."

"Yes?" Mary urged as Bill hesitated.

"He will not miss me; we do not always see eye to eye, and it leaves the door open for him to make a move on Sookie."

"But doesn't she belong to you?"

"Eric is a higher lifeform, one of the highest; he can do whatever he wants, within reason. Yes, Sookie is mine, but if he wants her and if she reciprocates the feelings, then there is little I can really do."

"So you're fucked whatever?"

"It looks that way," he sighed sadly.

"Do you think Eric _will _investigate? Is there anything _you_ can do?"

"Not without returning to Bon Temps or Shreveport, no, and I cannot do that as I would put myself in danger. I _hope_ Eric will investigate; he does take his responsibilities very seriously."

"I'm sure the truth will out in the end," Mary sympathised. "And then you can go home."

"Maybe," he shrugged, "although I am not too sure I could face Sookie again."

"Maybe she's regretting not believing you? Why don't you call her?"

"Because I do not have my cell."

"You can easily find her number, Bill..."

"I could," he sighed, "but she made it quite clear that she did not want to have anything to do with me."

"All right, I'm sorry I brought it up."

"So, what about you? Was it your illness that drove your husband out?"

"Yeah... I wasn't too bad for the first few months, but then the more I tried to do, and act normally, the worse I became until... well, you saw what state I was in. Mark was never the sort to hold much truck with illness; he saw it as malingering, as you may have gathered... The worst thing was knowing he was seeing other women and not being able to do a damned thing about it! That hurt so much, but I couldn't even cry about it as it wore me out too much."

"So, what will you do now?" Bill enquired.

"I dunno; I noticed a sign on the reception window advertising for a receptionist, maybe I'll apply for that and see how I feel in a few weeks time."

"I will find somewhere to shelter tonight."

"Eh?" Mary queried. "What do you mean? You have somewhere; _here!"_

"I cannot take advantage of your hospitality," Bill frowned. "Seventy dollars a night will soon eat into your money."

"Bill," she sighed, shaking her had at him. "I did not get a chance to honour my side of our deal; this will honour it."

"But..."

"You try and move out, William Compton, and I will line the door frame with silver chain!"

"For someone who has been confined indoors for the past two years, you sure know a lot about us," he remarked with a crooked smile.

"Oh, the wonders of daytime television," Mary remarked dryly. "I even know the best pulse points for a vampire to drain their victim by..."

"Which I am sure you would rather _not_ know?"

"I actually found gangstas bragging about their best guns more disturbing. From what I can see, the murder statistics for human on human is still far higher than vampire on human."

"We have had to live alongside humans for centuries; it is not in our interest to kill you all off."

"Not even now you have Tru Blood?"

"Some vampires refuse to drink it, but I believe there is room for us all to co-exist."

"Yeah, you just have to convince all the hick states and countries of that."

"It will take time, I know," he nodded, "but time is exactly what vampires have."

"You think it will happen? People are liking it to the acceptance of blacks, especially around these parts, but it's not the same, is it? Blacks are human, and there's this whole mystique surrounding vampires, especially thanks to Annie Rice and Stephanie Meyer."

"But the reality is completely different. We do not... _sparkle _for one thing..."

Mary threw her head back and laughed loudly at the disparaging look on Bill's face. "Come on then," she pressed, still grinning, "dispel those myths."

"Ah... daylight and fierce fire can kill us, as well as the _good old _stake through the heart. Silver severely debilitates our strength; silver bullets are especially bad. They debilitate us for long enough to be staked. We can cross water, and even bathe; we can see our own reflection and have photographs taken, we cannot have children."

"And you live forever?"

"Yes, we do."

"I would hate that," Mary frowned. "I couldn't live to be 174; how come you haven't gone insane with boredom, there's nothing new to see or experience."

"You think that's old?" Bill chuckled. "Eric is over a thousand years old!"

"You are joking...?" Mary gasped, her jaw dropping open.

"He was a Viking, as you will see if you ever meet him."

"A V-Viking?" she spluttered. "His people were amongst the founders of what would become my homeland... no-one can be _that_ old!"

"A vampire can."

"A th... you're pulling my leg, aren't you, Bill?"

"I promise you, Ma'am, it is no word of a lie. His maker, Godric, was over two thousand years old."

"I'd commit suicide!"

"He did," Bill sighed sadly. "He had grown jaded and tired, and went out in the sun."

"Oh, God! I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's all right," he soothed, holding up his hand. "I know you did not. You say that there is nothing new to see or experience? The world changed so much from the time I came over, especially in the early part of the twentieth century; I felt privileged to have seen it all happen. But now the world is changing for the worse, and... well that is not so good to experience."

"I think it will get worse now that people know of your existence. I can see it bringing about major changes and conflict," Mary mused, pulling a face at the thought. "Are there just vampires, or are there other _mythological_ creatures?"

"There are others, but it is not for me to tell you of them. If they choose to come out, then you will know."

"I hope they don't."

"So do I."

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to improve your handicap, and go and see about that job upstairs. At least if I get it, you'll get some peace and quiet!"

"I do not mind; you are not as annoying as some I have shared with."

"You wait, Mister!" Mary laughed as she got off the bed and headed towards the door. "I might challenge you to a game later," she added, nodding towards the games console.

"I will hold you to that," Bill smiled, chuckling to himself as she opened the door and disappeared with a cheery wave.

'_How come the only decent man I meet in over two years is a bloody vampire?'_ Mary wondered to herself as she made her way up the stairs. _'I wonder... no! I told you before, don't even go down that road. You need time to sort your head out before you go getting involved with anyone, human or vampire. Besides, he's too hung up over that Sookie woman. I wonder why she turned her back on him? I wonder if there is something going on with her and Eric?'_

"Hey! Careful!" A man warned as Mary nearly collided with him as she emerged into the twilight.

"Sorry! I was miles away!" she apologised.

"Ah, you must be Bill's _friend?_ I'm Stuart McCulloch; owner of this motel."

"That is a very Scottish name to go with a very southern drawl!" Mary laughed. "Mary Coombes," she announced, reverting back to her maiden name.

"Yeah," Stuart grinned. "My father was a Scotsman; came over in the 80's."

"1880's by any chance?" she queried, chuckling at his confirming nod. "I'm kinda getting used to this age of vampires business... I think! Listen, I came up to enquire about the receptionists job. Is it still open?"

"You betcha!" Stuart exclaimed. "Been open for the last month; you got experience? Not that it matters much."

"I'm afraid not," she winced.

"That's okay, you'll soon pick it up! I'll show ya 'round."

"You look right at home there," Bill smiled when he came searching for Mary an hour or so later and found her sitting behind the desk of the reception.

"Yeah," Mary grinned, putting on a show of looking proud. "There's not much to it, and a vampire worker will come and take over at two."

"And what time do you start?"

"Depends on when dusk falls. Later now the summer months are here, but earlier in the winter; if I'm still around by then."

"I see," Bill frowned. "And you will be alone during all that time? What protection do you have?"

"Stuart and Adam assured me that there will be no problems. Most of the guests here are regulars that don't want any trouble."

"Every vampire poses a danger!" Bill exploded. "They cannot leave you here alone with no-one to guard you!"

"I'll be okay, Bill," she assured him with little conviction. Although she knew she had the money from the sale of Mark's bike behind her, Mary also knew that Bill had been correct in his assertion that it would not last long, especially if they stayed at the motel for some time.

"No, Mary! I will not let you work here."

"Hold on a minute, William Compton! We may share a blood bond, but you do not own me!"

"I do not think you realise how much danger you will be in when other vampires start coming in. Even if you managed to press the panic button, by the time someone arrived, it would be far too late."

"Yes, I do realise what danger I will be in!" she retorted, her anger growing. "But we need to get some money coming in before it's all frittered away!"

"Is everything all right?" Adam Lovell queried as he poked his head around the door of the office having heard the raised voices.

"I cannot believe you are letting Mary work here with no protection!" Bill stormed, rounding on the human man.

"She has protection," Adam frowned, looking questioningly at Mary who sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't want to say anything to Bill," she admitted. "I have a handgun... with silver bullets."

"Why didn't you say so?" Bill demanded, puzzled by her reticence.

"Because I didn't know how you'd react."

"But even that won't save you," he insisted.

"Bill, you were happy enough to let me come and see about the job! What the hell did you think it would entail, huh? _If_ I have to shoot a vampire, at least it'll give me enough time to get away."

"I did not think that you would be working _alone_, until two o'clock in the morning!"

"Look," Adam sighed as he entered the reception office. "We've had one or two problems, I admit, but we've cleaned the place up now. We haven't had any trouble in weeks."

"And how many human women have you had working here in those few weeks?" Bill growled.

"None," Adam admitted ruefully, casting a look at Mary. "Sorry; if you want to quit, then we'll understand."

"I do feel kinda vulnerable," she admitted. "But other people work alongside vampires, so I don't see why I can't."

"I can stay with you," Bill offered, seeing that Mary really wanted to keep the job. "I have nothing else to do except play Wii golf."

"Thanks," Mary smiled, "but I can't expect you to do it every night. You have to have some time to yourself."

"To do what?"

"Well, I dunno! Whatever it is you do!"

"I have nothing _to_ do here. Oxten Falls is not the most exciting town in the world..."

"Ain't that th'truth!" Adam put in. "Th'only reason we're here is because this place was all we could afford. Look, I know there's a risk, that's why I suggested you try just th'one night. But the regulars, vampires and humans, are pretty decent. Hell, they ain't got nowhere else to go and they know if this place closes, they'll have even less freedom. Some of the trouble we had earlier was caused by vampires from outside the area; Shreveport an' the like."

"Shreveport?" Bill frowned.

"Yeah... we get the feelin' that Eric has his eye on this place."

"For what purpose?"

"He's opened a hotel by the club..."

"Yes, I know," Bill frowned.

"It seems your Viking has many fingers in many pies..." Mary remarked dryly.

"You know Eric?" Adam frowned, looking at Bill. "'Cos we're tryin' to keep under his radar, like."

"Once he knows about you, you do not stay under his radar. I will stay with Mary for tonight and see how we get on, all right?"Bill reasoned, changing the subject. The last thing he or Mary needed was to be thrown out of the motel in case they caused problems.

"Yeah, fine," Adam replied absently, his mind already wondering whether he and his business partner were about to get more trouble from the vampire sheriff, due to their guests; if Eric was indeed behind the earlier trouble.

"Is it the sort of thing Eric would do?" Mary enquired once she and Bill were alone.

"Exactly the sort of thing he would do," Bill confirmed. "I just hope that if they have had no problems for a while, that he has forgotten about this place, or something else is taking up his time." _'But not Sookie, I hope,'_ he prayed silently.

"Assuming that he was behind the trouble at all?"

"If they knew some of the troublemakers were from Shreveport, then Eric was probably behind it."

"I'm going nowhere near Shreveport!" she declared, liking the sound of the vampire sheriff less and less the more she heard about him.

"Me neither," Bill agreed with a smile as he sat on the sole guest chair by the window.

"Well, that was okay, wasn't it?" Mary grinned as she and Bill entered their room after her shift had ended, and she went to go and have a quick shower.

"It was," Bill nodded, having no choice but to agree with her. Most of the clientèle were vampires who stayed there on a long term basis, while the human customers tended to be thrill seekers, or were involved with a vampire and did not want their human partners finding out about their illicit affairs. None, as far as Bill could ascertain, posed much of a threat to Mary. But he knew all too well how tempting a human was for some, especially an attractive female human. "So you will be keeping the job?"

"I think so," she replied from within the en suite. "And you don't have to stay with me, okay?"

"I would prefer to stay. I do not and will not trust them completely, I'm sorry."

"Oh, Bill," Mary sighed. "You are not my protector, you know?"

"We share a bond; that itself makes me protective of you."

Mary stepped into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her wet body, and she took the shower cap off, shaking her hair loose. "And what happens if you are in a position to go back to Bon Temps?" she queried, cocking her head to one side as she regarded him, her breath catching as she realised how he was looking at her. '_Oh, shit...'_

"I cannot see me going back for a long time," he replied with a frown as his eyes lingered over her body. "I am going out for a while. I will be back soon."

"Oh..." Mary gasped as Bill disappeared out of the door in a gust of wind. "Bollocks!" she swore crossly, closing her eyes and shaking her head. '_It's no use, Mare. It ain't gonna happen.' _Dejectedly, she dried herself off and pulled on her long tee that she wore in bed and climbed in, wishing she could do something to alleviate the dull emptiness that she felt.

'_Do I forget Sookie, or continue to live in hope that we will be reunited one day?'_ Bill mused as he wandered the empty streets of Oxten Falls. '_Even if I return home, will she be with Eric? If she is not, would we ever get back what we had? Or do I forget it all and take a chance on Mary? But Mary needs stability and that is something I cannot guarantee her. Until I know my own future, how can I promise her one?' _Bill shrank back into the shadows as he heard a noise, smiling ruefully as a shifter in the form of a cat sped past him, snarling and hissing as it went. "And a goodnight to you, too," he chuckled wryly. Even a backwater like Oxten Falls had its secrets. '_I hate this Godforsaken town!'_ he thought vehemently as he looked around what passed as the main street, but was little more than a short road with one or two shops and several houses dotted along its length. '_I wonder if Eric set me up_ _to get me out of the way? That is something else I would not put past him. But without the assistance of someone his equal, I have no way of proving my innocence, and I am not going before the Magister to ask for help!'_

Mary turned over in bed and looked at the bedside clock, groaning out loud when she saw it was still only half past three in the morning. "Dammit all! I need a good fuck!" she cried out loud in sheer frustration, her fists pounding against the bedclothes. "Damn you for being hung up on a bitch who doesn't care for you, Bill Compton!" With a growl of anger, Mary turned over, yanked the covers back and snaked her hand up between her legs, groaning and writhing as she pleasured herself.

"Jesus Christ!" she swore as she opened her eyes to see Bill standing by the door watching her, his fangs protruding and the hunger naked in his eyes. Biting back a brief fissure of fear, Mary inched her tee up her body and over her head, and lay there with her legs splayed in an open invitation.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own any characters from the series true Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

I am sorry for the long delay in posting – to be honest, I know people are reading this story and the lack of reviews makes me wonder if I should bother continuing with it. Ani

**Chapter six**

"Hmm? Ooooh..." Mary groaned as she came to, and smiled to herself as she recalled the long hours of loving she had shared with Bill, drinking a little of his blood when she became too tired or sore to continue, to restore her energy and soothe her pain, and so enabling them to carry on. She turned over and looked round the room, spotting Bill sitting on the chair, deep in thought. "Bill?"

"Mary!" he exclaimed as if surprised that she was there.

"Are you okay?"

"I... yes... I am fine," he replied hesitantly, unable to meet her eyes.

"No, you're not. What's wrong? Do you regret what happened?" Mary asked, getting out of bed and padding over to him, squatting down beside the chair. "Well?"

"I... still love Sookie," Bill frowned. "I feel as if I've betrayed her."

Mary sighed and placed her hand over his on the arm of the chair, squeezing it. "I know; I still love Mark, and although he cheated on me, I still feel... I dunno. Look, I'm sorry you came back and found me... you know. Maybe nothing would have happened if you hadn't or I hadn't... huh?"

"One of the things that happens when a human takes a vampire's blood is that they have a sexual attraction for the vampire. I'm sorry, I should have told you, but I was afraid that you'd refuse; you were wavering enough as it was."

"Oh." Mary looked at Bill quizzically then with mild annoyance. "It might've been good if you _had_ told me then maybe I wouldn't have thought I'd suddenly turned into a nymphomaniac! I just put it down to not having sex for a couple of years, although that was probably a factor..."

"I am sorry, Mary," Bill sighed, finally looking at her. "I'm sorry I misled you, and sorry if I used you."

"I guess we both needed a bit of comfort, eh?" she mused, squeezing his hand again. "Let's chalk it up to a one-off but with keeping options open?"

"You are not angry?"

"Disappointed, and a little hurt," Mary admitted, "but I need to get my head together before I can even think about men; human or vampires!"

"Thank you," Bill smiled, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her fingers. "Never say never...?"

**Two weeks later**

Mary glanced up from her desk and her eyes travelled up the long legs of a blond man standing before her, his tight black jeans and wife-beater vest accentuating his well built body perfectly. '_Jeez! He's sex on legs!'_ she mused to herself. "Can I help you?" she enquired, recovering her equilibrium – just.

"I am looking for Bill Compton."

"Oh!" Too late, Mary tried in vain to cover her surprise and fear by shoving her nose into the bookings log. "Sorry, no-one of that name here."

"Nice try," the blond retorted. "Where is he?"

"Who are you?" Mary demanded as she realised there was little point in keeping up the pretence.

"My name is Eric Northman."

"What do you want with Bill?" The fear was winning.

"I would like to talk to him."

"Yeah, well he's not here at the moment, so you tell me what you want with him, and I'll give him a call, hmm?"

"What is it about Bill that inspires such devotion from human women?" Eric taunted as he regarded her closely. "It didn't take him long to get over Sookie, that's for sure..."

"That is none of your business!" Bill spat from behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, way to make me out a liar, Bill," Mary muttered.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?"

"No, Bill!" she put in, scared that the blond vampire would take him away. Or worse.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Mary."

"Mary, hmm?" Eric mused, turning his attention back to the woman still seated behind the desk. "I have made a discovery that clears you."

"Oh, well done Sherlock! You _do_ do your job from time to time, then?" Mary murmured.

"Mary!" Bill warned, shaking his head at her. "How?" he enquired, looking back at Eric.

"Pam and I looked at the video once more when she noticed a slight glitch in the film. We called in an expert who said that the film had been tampered with; there was some footage missing. So I made more enquiries, leaned on a few vampires..."

"Yes? And?" Bill urged.

"Janella set you up."

"Who is Janella?" Mary wondered, looking at Bill.

"She is Longshadow's progeny," Bill explained. "How?" he asked, not taking his eyes off his sheriff.

"She found a human who bore a resemblance to you, and seduced him. Then found a fledgling whom she persuaded to flirt with Sookie, you remember?"

"Yes, I do," Bill frowned, recalling a time in _Fangtasia_ when a young, newly formed vampire had come on to Sookie in front of him, and had to be persuaded forcibly to leave her alone.

"She got the human to wear gloves and ambush the fledgling, putting a silver chain around him and then stabbed him with a stake."

"How do you know all this?" Mary asked, voicing what Bill was thinking himself.

"We had a lead that led to Janella, but she had left in a hurry when we arrived at her nest. We found the original disc in our search. She killed the human and used one of those grabber arms to remove the silver chain from the remains of the fledgling and drop it down a drain. She was seen carrying the human away and then the recording ended. All of that was missing from the version we had."

"And you can definitely see it is not me?"

"Yes, although the human looked a little like you, it was not a close enough resemblance to fool when you could see his face clearly, and you can several times after he killed the fledgling. So, you are free to return home; Sookie has missed you..." Eric cast a sly look at Mary, a smile tweaking his lips.

"The same Sookie who did not believe Bill?" Mary spat, shooting the blond vampire a filthy look, "and refused to go with him?"

"No, the Sookie who spent a lot of her time searching for Bill, and doing all she could to convince people of his innocence."

"Amazing what a guilty conscience can do!"

"Mary, that's enough!" Bill retorted sharply, the shock of the revelations still making his head spin.

Mary frowned then turned her head away briefly to disguise the fact that she was close to tears. '_He's going to go. And you're going to have to let him...' _"Well it took you bloody long enough to get around to trying to clear him!" she spat, taking her hurt out on Eric.

"You're English," he realised as she jumped to her feet to face him.

"Yes, I am," Mary replied, jutting out her chin and looking the powerful vampire straight in the eyes.

"That explains a lot," he remarked dryly, suppressing a smile as a flash of defiance and anger shone in Mary's eyes.

"Your being Swedish explains even more!" she rejoined, glowering at the amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"I'll give you this, Bill," he mused, not taking his eyes off Mary once, "you have an interesting taste in human women."

"Would you leave us?" Bill frowned, not comfortable with the way Eric was looking at Mary. "I would like to speak with her, alone."

"Oh... this is where he breaks your heart," the blond taunted, pulling a mock sad face.

"Fuck off," Mary hissed, trying hard not to let her emotions show on her face, but unable to stop the tears that welled in her eyes.

"If you need a shoulder to cry on..." Eric continued as he backed away, chuckling at her. "I can be _very_ understanding..."

"Eric!" Bill growled, taking half a step towards his elder. "Get out!"

"I'm gone, I'm gone!" Eric grinned, holding his hands up in fake surrender, and he turned and disappeared out of the door, blowing Mary a kiss through the window.

"Mary... I..." Bill stumbled, looking at her in despair.

"It's all right," she choked, shaking her head. "You have to go back, I know."

"I am not sure that I want to."

"Bill, you have known me but a few days; Bon Temps is your home, Sookie is your woman, and if what that bastard says is true, she regrets rejecting you. You can't live here when you have a house, a place where you belong."

"But what about you? Who will look after you?"

"I will! I am not incapable, you know? I know I have relied on you the last couple of weeks, but I can and will look after myself; I will be fine, I swear."

"But you can't work here!"

"Maybe not. I might go to Haynesville and look for a regular motel and a regular job, then see what happens."

"I don't want to leave you," Bill whispered, so softly he was almost inaudible.

"And I don't want you to go!" Mary sobbed, flinging herself in his arms as she finally let out her emotions. "But you have to, Bill... _now!"_

With a deep sag of his shoulders, Bill lifted Mary's face up and gently kissed her lips. "I will go tomorrow?"

"I can't face a long and drawn out goodbye," she replied in a strangled voice. "_Please_ go now, Bill."

"_Mary?" _he pleaded, a frown creasing his brow. "What if it doesn't work out with Sookie?"

"It will," she assured him with a tearful smile. "I know it will."

Bill closed his eyes briefly, then released his hold on Mary, battling the temptation to wrap her tightly in his arms as she stifled a sob. "Goodbye."

Mary nodded vigorously, unable to speak any longer as she bit her lip hard in an effort to stop herself breaking down, but was unable to stop a wail as Bill turned and walked out of the door.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own any characters from the series True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

I am giving you a list of Swedish swear words which you will find handy in chapters to come! They are correct in as much as I can check – apologies to any Swedes if they are wrong!

arsel - ass

fan ta dig – fuck you

runkare – wanker

Dra åt helvete – fuck off

skräp – crap

tjur – bull

Knulla – fuck

skit – shit

**Chapter Seven**

Nine months later

"I hear you're gonna be livin' it up over in Springhill t'morrer? You sure they're ready for ya?"

"I'll flatten the town, _again!"_ Mary laughed as her favourite long term vampire resident came into the reception office and sat heavily on the chair by the window. "Anything you want me to get you?"

"Naw; yer got me all th'clothes I need on yer last visit, an' there ain't nothin' else I need, apart from the obvious."

"I told you, Zac Efron is outta your league!" she teased. "Besides, he's too expensive; my meagre wages wouldn't cover the cost of a little toe."

"It ain't his little toe that I'm interested in!" Walt grinned.

"Walter Riley!" Mary exclaimed in fake shock. "I am a delicate little flower; I do not need to know such things!"

"Like fuck you are!" came Stuart's voice from inside his office. "I reckon you could teach _us_ a thing or two!"

Mary picked up a paper clip and threw it at her boss as he came into the reception, and bobbed her tongue out at him for good measure.

"Here's my shopping list," Stuart smiled as he handed a piece of paper to her. "You sure you don't mind getting all of this for everyone?" he worried, knowing that most of the motels guests had given her lists of varying lengths.

"Ah, of course I don't mind! It gives me an excuse to spend longer looking around the shops!"

"As if women need an excuse,"Walt mused dryly.

"Yeah," Stuart agreed. "I remember all too well the hours I'd spend traipsing around after my wife, carrying bags and bags and bags. I sure don't miss that!"

"Oh hush, the pair of you! A woman has to have _some_ pleasures in life!"

"As does a man!" Walt laughed as he got back up again. "I'll be seein' ya, sweetheart!"

"Yeah, be good. And if you can't be good... don't get caught!" they both said in unison, laughing out loud. She glanced at Stuart's list, her smile fading as she saw that it contained mostly locks for windows and doors, and security lights. "What're we going to do?" she sighed, looking at the short, dark haired vampire.

"I don't know," Stuart admitted, sitting in the chair vacated by Walt. "I dunno how much more we can take."

Mary shook her head as she recalled the spate of problems that had hit the motel in recent weeks, ranging from a flood in one of the upstairs rooms that had seeped down to the room below, to a near riot just last week, when troublemakers had over-run the motel, breaking windows and trashing rooms, leaving Stuart and Adam close to ruin. "You still think Northman's behind it?"

"Hun, we're only fifty miles from Shreveport, and we were doing pretty well, huh? Can't see who else it's gonna be."

"Just make sure you don't discount others by being blinkered about Eric."

"Mare, from what I've heard his hotel ain't doing too well. He'll stop at nothing to get rid of the competition. I remember when he opened _Fangtasia_ on the back of the ruination of another vampire club in Bossier. It was never proved, but I'm willing to bet he was behind that as well."

"Can you afford all of this?" she asked, indicating the list.

"No, but I can't afford to have any more trouble either."

"I'll help you out," Mary offered.

"No! You've done more than enough already by taking a pay cut, _and_ helping us out money-wise. I can't ask any more of you, Mare. Look, you go on, I'll cover the rest of your shift."

"You sure?" she asked hopefully, feeling in dire need of a good nights sleep.

"Yeah; looking at that lot you have to buy, you're gonna need all the rest you can get!"

"You're an angel," she smiled, jumping up from her seat and going over and pecking Stuart on the cheek. "See you tomorrow night."

"Sleep well, sweetheart."

Mary looked again at Stuart's list, sighing heavily to herself as she made her way to her room. She knew that one more disaster in any shape or form, would break the camel's back, and the motel would have to close. She had contemplated going to Shreveport and having it out with Eric, but she knew that without proof, it would have no effect, only to make the blond vampire gloat at their misfortune, and she just _knew_ that he would. _'Things will get better,'_ she told herself. _'They have to.'_

Mary sighed wearily as she turned off the main highway and headed towards Oxten Falls. Much as she enjoyed shopping, there was such a variety of things on the lists, that she had had to walk from shop to shop and sometimes back to one shop several times to get everything, but she was done and looking forward to a couple of hours rest before her shift started at seven. She frowned as she saw smoke and an orange glow in the distance, her puzzlement turning slowly to unease as she got closer and realised that it looked like a fire, and it was in the direction of the motel. _'No,'_ she told herself. _'Stop being silly.'_ But the unease grew to fear and Mary put her foot down, covering the last couple of miles in less than a minute.

"Oh... God..." she gasped as she saw fire tenders and police vehicles blocking the road right by the entrance to the motel, and she screeched to a halt, running for all she was worth down the road, screaming.

"Mare! Mary!"

She gasped as Adam caught her as she sped past him, and enveloped her in his arms, holding on tightly and shielding her from the sight.

"No!" Mary screamed, fighting to break free. _"No!"_

"It's too late, Mare," he gulped, his voice tight with emotion. "There's nothing we can do."

"God! No!" Mary sank to her knees on the tarmac and buried her face in her hands as she sobbed.

"I'm sorry, Miss," a voice sympathised, but Mary did not bother looking up. "Did you know these people?"

"She lived and worked here," Adam replied for her in a deflated voice. "She was very close to everyone; they all adored her."

"Can I ask your name, Miss, and whether you can remember the names of the guests and other members of staff that might have been present?"

"What does it matter?" Mary spat, jumping to her feet and confronting whom she saw to be the fire chief. "They're all dead, aren't they?"

"Yes..." he sighed, "and I am very sorry for the loss of your friends, but we will need to contact relatives of the deceased, so any information you can give us...?"

Mary looked over his shoulder at the ruin of the motel, flames still pouring out of some of the upstairs rooms, and she closed her eyes as images of what it must be like in the downstairs rooms flashed through her mind. "W-what caused it?" she whispered. "How the hell did it take hold so well, and spread so fast?"

"It's too early to say for sure," the fire chief began, looking from her to Adam, "but one of my men found the remains of a barrel at the bottom of one of the stairwells. My guess is, there was a barrel at the bottom of all of them."

"A barrel of _what?" _Adam demanded. "Gas wouldn't burn this fiercely!"

"No; no it wouldn't, Sir," the chief agreed. "Once things have cooled down, we will retrieve the barrel and do analysis on what was in them."

"Do you have any ideas?"

The older man sighed, shaking his head as he thought. "I shouldn't be sayin' this, and I could well be wrong, but I'd hazard a guess at something like napalm..."

"N-n... oh..." Mary turned her head and threw up on the verge, knowing how the thick, sticky accelerant would have coated everything and burned for an age. "But napalm doesn't burn on its own," she frowned once she had recovered.

"There have been reports of several explosions being heard."

"Jesus!" Adam gasped, covering his face. "Oh God! They blew the barrels?"

"Excuse me," the fire chief apologised as one of his men called him back. "I am sorry."

"I'm going to kill him," Mary growled as she turned and ran towards the car.

"_Mary!"_ Adam yelled, but he was a fraction of a second too late in running after her and he threw his hands up in the air in despair as she jumped back in her car, and turned it around with a squeal of brakes, leaving rubber on the road as she sped off in the direction which she had come.

Mary looked at her reflection in the rear view mirror, snorting derisively as she reckoned she did not look any different from most of the vampires she had encountered over the last few months with her pale face and red rimmed eyes. She opened her bag and fished for her comb, dragging it through her hair in an effort to resemble a sane human being, not that she particularly felt like one, not any more. Taking a deep breath, Mary looked over to the entrance to the vampire club and the short queue of people waiting to get past the bouncer on the door; part of her mind musing that they looked the same as the thrill seekers who used to hang around the motel in the hope of a little excitement in their drab, miserable lives. _'Well, you're gonna get excitement tonight.'_

She looked at the clock on the dash; 11:37pm, and decided that now was time. Mary climbed out of the car, and straightened her tee out as best she could, wishing that she had something more appropriate to wear so that she blended in better, but all her clothes had been in her room. She closed her eyes as the image of the motel flashed in her mind. _'No! Concentrate!'_ she urged herself, pushing the thought away, with some difficulty. She took another deep breath and started walking towards the entrance to _Fangtasia, _concentrating on each step until she found herself standing in front of the female vampire.

"You coulda made an effort!" she sneered, looking disparagingly at Mary in her slightly baggy sage green tee, jeans and sneakers.

"I-I did not know w-what to wear," Mary stumbled, pretending to be a little afraid and in awe. "I-I have n-never been before."

"You ain't gonna last long in there," the vampire laughed, jerking her head towards the door. "Have fun...!"

Mary smirked to herself as she entered the club and paused, looking around the teeming mass of humans, vampires, and heaven knew what else. She checked on her handgun and a small stake, both tucked in the waist of her jeans, and plunged into the crowd, her eyes darting everywhere until she located Eric, sitting above the crowd, on a platform.

_'You fucking poser!' _ she thought as she began to work her way towards him, keeping her head down so that he did not see her, but he was far too interested in the bimbo sitting in the seat next to him, in a tight fitting dress that barely covered her breasts or knickers. _'If she's wearing any knickers, that is...'_

"Mary?"

Mary froze briefly as she heard a familiar voice, and knew she did not have any time left, and so slipped the gun and stake from her jeans and launched herself up the few steps of the platform, aiming the gun right at Eric's heart, her finger squeezing the trigger.

"Mary! _No!" _Bill cried, already speeding across the room as she moved, and he threw himself at her, knocking her off her feet before anyone, even Eric, had a chance to react, and the shot went harmlessly into the ceiling above the platform. "What are you doing?" he demanded, shocked as she began to wail, an unearthly sound. "Mary?"

"B-B-Bill..." she sobbed, burying her face in his chest. "Oh... G-God..."

Eric bent down and grabbed Mary by the hair, hauling her to her feet to face him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't drain your blood nice and slowly?" he demanded, his eyes ablaze with fury and his voice dripping with menace.

"D-dead..." Mary stuttered. "Dead."

"Eric, let her go," Bill pleaded as he got to his feet, casting a wary eye around as the other vampires closed in on them, not least Pam, Eric's progeny, while most of the humans were fleeing for the exit in a panic. "Let me at least find out what has happened. _Eric!"_

The blond vampire looked from Mary to Bill and back again, his face contorted with anger, but with a snort of disgust he shoved her to Bill. "She is not off the hook," he warned.

"Call them off," Bill urged, jerking his head to indicate the closing group.

"That depends on what she has to say."

"Eric! Do you want to find out or not, as they will kill her unless you call them off!"

Eric was silent for several long moments before clicking his fingers, then growling at several who did not obey him immediately. "My patience is running out..."

"Mary, calm down," Bill soothed, stroking her hair. "It's all right, you're safe now. What happened, Mary..."

"B-B-Bill... I c-can't..."

"Not good enough," Eric warned coldly, taking a small step towards them, Pam at his shoulder.

Bill sighed and released his hold on Mary so that he could look her in the eyes. "Calm down now, Mary," he intoned, trying to use the power of glamour, finding it hard under such trying circumstances, but her breathing became more regular and she stopped shaking quite so violently. "Good girl," he smiled, kissing her on the forehead. "Now tell me why you wanted to kill Eric."

"T-there was a f-fire; they're all d-dead, B-Bill."

"A fire? At the motel?" He closed his eyes in horror as Mary nodded and bowed her head, fresh tears spilling down her face. "You killed them!" she suddenly screamed, flinging herself at Eric once more and raking her nails down his face.

"Mary, no!" Bill yelled, wrapping his protective arms around her and pulling her away from the volatile vampire. "Eric would never kill another vampire in cold blood."

"Would he kill if a business was doing better than his? Would he kill to get rid of the competition?" she demanded hysterically, struggling to break from Bill's firm hold. "We all know you've been trying to ruin us, Eric Northman! Well now you fucking well succeeded!"

"You think I would kill other vampires in such a way?" Eric growled, pulling Mary away from Bill's embrace and grasping her face in his hand, squeezing hard.

"Why not? You've been causing all the trouble we've had over the last few weeks. This is the next logical step, isn't it? _Isn't it?" _she screamed, struggling against his grip until it hurt too much.

"Eric, please," Bill begged. "Please, let her calm down and then we can find out exactly what has happened."

"My office," Eric snarled, grabbing Mary's arm and frog-marching her through the hostile nightclub to the door to his office, Bill and Pam following close behind. "She has five minutes and if I don't get a satisfactory answer then I suggest you leave, Bill; I don't think you would want to watch her destruction."

"Mary," Bill urged, looking her in the eyes again. "You have to stay calm and tell us what happened. Will you do that for me?"

"I-I'll try," she stammered.

"You'll do more than try!" Eric spat, barging Bill out of the way and pinning Mary against the closed door, what little patience he had, rapidly running out. "What happened?" he demanded, giving Bill a sharp sideways look as the other vampire protested at Mary's treatment.

Mary whimpered and tried struggling, before sagging against his grip, knowing there was little point in continuing to fight; if she had thought Bill was strong, he clearly had nothing on Eric. She took a couple of breaths to compose herself, then looked him square in the eyes. "I had been shopping in Haynesville and got back around five in the afternoon; the motel was still on fire, and the fire chief said that barrels had been been placed by each bottom doorway and they were set with explosives... and possibly napalm..."

"And why did he think that?" Eric urged, not relinquishing his hold on her even slightly.

"One of his men had found the remains of a barrel at the bottom of one of the stairwells, and he knew it couldn't be gas to burn so fiercely and reckoned it must have been something like napalm," she replied, closing her eyes as an image of the fire flashed in her mind once more.

"So it was pre-meditated?" Eric beseeched, exchanging glances with Bill, before giving Mary a sharp shake until she opened her eyes again.

"Yes."

"And why did you think that I did it?" Eric growled.

"You are the only person I can think of with enough power and influence, _and_ who had something to gain, to do this," she accused defiantly, her eyes flashing angrily.

"Eric did not do this, Mary, I swear to you," Bill put in. "He is a sheriff first and foremost, and an atrocity like this is punishable by the severest of vampire laws. Did you have any problems with locals, anyone with a grudge against the motel, who might have done this?"

"Ha!" Mary snorted. "Knock on a door in Oxten Falls and you have a suspect!"

"There were no survivors?" Eric queried, still holding her against the door.

"Only Adam, but he didn't live on site anyway."

"Did he have anything to gain by this? Insurance, maybe?"

"I... don't know. I don't think so; he was as devastated as I was."

"I don't think Adam would have been behind this," Bill agreed.

"Thank you," Mary smiled, turning her head to look at Bill before facing Eric once more. "Why did you try to ruin us?"

"How do you know it was me?"

"Oh, come _on_, Eric! I didn't come down with the last fucking shower!"

"Mary..." Bill warned, afraid for her safety.

"Yes, I did organise the trouble," Eric admitted with an unconcerned shrug. "I had hoped to buy them out; in fact I was going to head up there in the next few nights to discuss business with Stuart. You can't think of _anyone_ who would have the know how and the money to organise something like this?"

"The American Moral League?" she suggested, knowing that the newly found organisation had already carried out several attacks on vampires and their properties throughout the State.

"Could be," Pam mused from her position leaning against Eric's desk. "They've gotten enough support _and_ funding over the last few months."

"Eric, please let her go. She can stay with me, and if she thinks of anything else, I'll be in touch," Bill pleaded.

"Hell!" Pam snorted, throwing her head back and laughing. "You sure are a glutton for punishment, Bill. Sookie, Jessica, _and _her?"

"I have not decided what I want to do with her, yet," Eric retorted, his eyes boring into Mary's. "I do not take kindly to _humans_ trying to kill me."

"I thought you were behind it," Mary replied, the defiance still shining brightly in her eyes. "I'm sorry if I misjudged you."

"_If?" _Eric repeated, glancing behind in astonishment at Pam, who shrugged in reply. "You _still_ think I did it?"

"Give me one fucking good reason why not, Eric, _then_ I might believe you..."

"You're either very brave or very foolish," he mused out loud, cocking his head to one side as he pretended to think of which he thought she was.

"Can't think of a reason?" she goaded, yelping as he pushed her harder against the door. "You're stalling..." she panted.

"For God's sake, Mary!" Bill yelled. "Shut up!"

"I do not need to explain myself to _you,"_ Eric snarled contemptuously. "But I will agree to Bill's request that you stay with him. But Bill?" he added, turning his attention to the dark haired vampire, standing to his left, "I hold you responsible for her. If she goes missing before I'm finished..."

"She will not," Bill replied, imploring Mary with his eyes. "You have my word."

"Needless to say," Eric purred, his voice dropping a couple of octaves as he leaned close to Mary's ear, "if you remember _anything_ that might help, you _will_ tell me immediately, won't you?"

"You're going to investigate?" Mary queried, fighting hard to keep her voice steady. "I hope you do a quicker job than you did investigating Bill's innocence..."

Bill sighed heavily as Eric backhanded Mary, sending her flying to the floor, unconscious.

"You will do well to teach her some respect," Eric spat angrily, glaring at the prone figure. "Get her out before I change my mind. And Bill...?"

"She won't be going anywhere, I promise," Bill finished as he bent down and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder, disappearing out of the door in a flash, before his elder _did_ have chance to change his mind.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own any characters from the series True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

**Chapter eight**

"Hmm? Ooooh!"

Gingerly, Mary opened one eye and then the other, wincing as her head pounded with pain.

"You never learn, do you?" came Bill's voice somewhere above her.

"W-where am I?" Mary groaned, holding her head in her hands to try and stop the pain.

"At my house, where you will be staying. You should not antagonise Eric; he is a very powerful vampire."

"He's a jackass, vampire or not!" she spat. "If he wants my respect, he has to earn it."

"Hi..."

Mary managed to raise her vision to take in a young, red haired woman, smiling down at her. "Jessica, right?"

"Yeah!" she beamed, happy that her maker's friend knew who she was. "I can't believe you stood up to Eric!"

"That's enough!" Bill snapped sharply. "Do not encourage her, for God's sake!"

"You talking to me or Jessica?" Mary enquired as she slowly sat up with the young vampire's help.

"Both of you, I fear," he frowned, sighing heavily and shaking his head. "We are going to have to go soon. There is some food in the kitchen, that Sookie cooks when she's over. _Please_, Mary, don't do anything stupid..."

"It's all I can do to sit up," she snorted, "so don't worry, I shan't be going over to stake Eric."

"_Mary_..." he warned, coming from behind the settee to face her. "Stay here and don't go _anywhere!"_

"And just what are you going to do to stop me? I won't," she added, seeing the look of alarm on his face. "I'll stay here like a good little girl. Does Sookie know I'm here?"

"Yes," came the curt reply, and Mary exchanged a quick glance with Jessica who pulled a face.

"She's not happy, huh?"

"We have to go; it is almost dawn."

"Okay, see you both later, huh?"

Mary sank back on the settee once she was alone again, and closed her eyes; the motel, her friends, Eric Northman, and _Fangtasia _all merging into one jumbled mess in her mind. _'Dammit all,' _ she thought as tears welled up in her eyes, _'Stu... Walt... Ann-Marie...' _ Mary rammed her fist in her mouth as a sob escaped her lips, but the sense of loss overwhelmed her and she buried her face in the cushions, sobbing as if her heart was breaking.

**A couple of weeks later**

"What can I get ya?"

"Ah... a beer, thanks," Mary replied as she stood at the bar or Merlotte's, only being here because she was in desperate need of company that day.

"You're new around here, huh? Sam Merlotte," the man behind the bar introduced himself as he handed over a bottle.

"Ah, the owner? I'm Mary Coombes; I'm a friend of Bill Compton."

"Oh. Right. I wondered why Sookie had been a little... _off_ for the past coupla weeks... you're staying with him?"

"Yeah. Although not for long, I hope. It's kinda... well."

"So, how'd you know Bill?"

"We met a while back, and he's helping me out after I became homeless."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Look, I don't suppose you're after a job, are you? I'm a little short-staffed, and maybe you could use the money?"

"Do you pounce on _every _customer who walks through the door?" Mary grinned.

"No, only the good-lookin' ones," Sam winked. "How about it?"

"I have no experience in waiting," she warned.

"You _cannot_ be any worse than some who have worked here!"

"You got yourself a waitress, Mr. Merlotte! When do I start?"

"Now?" Sam enquired hopefully, looking what he hoped was pitifully at her.

"Jeez! And here was me only after a beer!" Mary laughed as she picked up her bottle and carried it around to the other side of the bar. "So, show me the ropes.

**A few hours later**

Mary glanced around as a slight hush descended over the bar, her heart sinking slightly as Bill strode over to her, his face a mask of displeasure. "O neg?"

"What are you doing here?" he demanded crossly. "I have been worried about you!"

"Bill, I'm a grown woman, I do _not _ need you to hold my hand every time I go out. Sam offered me a job, and I accepted. Let's face it, the sooner I'm out of your place, the happier everyone'll be, okay?"

"I will not be happy!" he hissed.

"Look, I no longer fantasise about staking Eric, so you have nothing to worry about."

"_Mary!"_

"Bill," she sighed, taking his arm and leading him to a quieter spot, well aware of flapping ears. "I have felt more normal today than I have in the last couple of weeks. I need to do this, not just to get some money so I can get a place of my own, but for the company, Bill. I have nearly gone insane this last few days with just my own company."

"There is Sookie..."

"Who hates my guts! Come on, Bill. You cannot seriously think that we're going to be bosum buddies? She is your lover, I am a former lover, however briefly we were involved for... how would _you_ feel, huh?"

"Murderous," he growled softly.

"Exactly. I am fine here, I am safe here, so _please_ stop worrying! Now, O neg?"

"Yes please," he sighed, shaking his head as Mary went behind the bar to get his bottle of Tru Blood. "Do you mean it?" he enquired when she returned and placed the bottle in front of him at the bar.

"What?"

"About Eric? Do you still believe he had something to do with the fire?"

"No... I guess deep down, I never did. I just wanted someone to blame and he was the easiest and most obvious target."

"I am not sure about easiest," Bill frowned as he sipped his drink.

"If you hadn't been at _Fangtasia_, I would have killed him."

"And you would have been torn limb from limb."

"I was that numb, I don't think I'd have felt a thing," Mary sighed with a rueful shrug. "Do you think he will investigate?"

"Oh yes, of that I have little doubt. He _does_ take his duties seriously."

"Bill! What're you doing here?" Sookie put in, all but barging Mary out of the way. "I didn't think you'd be coming in tonight."

"I wanted to know where Mary was," he explained. "I did not know that she was working here now."

"No. Neither did I."

"Catch you later, huh?" Mary smiled as she moved away, trying not to let her heart sink. '_I have to move out ASAP!'_

"Everything okay?" Sam enquired, having spied the scene.

"Yeah... I guess," Mary sighed, shrugging at him. "I can't blame Sookie for being angry, and not trusting me, but..."

"It ain't easy?" he finished.

"No, it bloody well isn't! I don't suppose you've got a room, huh?" she asked, half jokingly.

"'Fraid not," he shrugged. "I could find out if someone has a room to let, if you like?"

"No... most people wouldn't take too kindly on my having vampires, even one so nice as Bill, around to visit. Thanks anyway."

"No problem. I'll do anything to keep a good waitress!" he teased, grinning as Mary bobbed her tongue out to him on her way to take an order from one of her tables.

**A few nights later**

Mary frowned as a deathly hush spread over the bar, her heart hammering as she turned and watched Eric Northman casually stroll across the floor and sit at one of Arlene's tables. _'Thank fuck for that!'_ she thought, and concentrated on taking her order, writing things down a couple of times before she finally got it right. _'How the fuck did he know I work here? Sookie?'_ She took a deep breath and deliberately walked over to the serving hatch, pinning her order up and taking a couple of seconds to compose herself before turning again, feeling Eric's eyes boring into her the whole time.

"Mary? Can we have 'nother pitcher?" one of her customers called from the table behind Eric's.

"Sure thing," she replied, licking her dry lips as she waited for the pitcher to be filled. _'Do not drop it... do not trip up... do not look at him... smile, for fucks sake!'_

"Mary."

"Ah, this is not my table," she replied, mentally cheering as she managed to sound normal; causal even.

Eric stood, turned to the table behind him and gestured, before sitting down on the one the hastily vacated chairs. "This is your table, yes?"

_'Fuck you!' "_What can I get you?" shedemanded, knowing she sounded anything _but_ calm now.

"Nothing."

"Then I'm sorry, but we operate a policy of not allowing anyone to sit at one of the tables unless they order something."

"Then I guess I will have a Tru Blood, but don't bother warming it up, I never touch the stuff."

"Of course you don't," Mary muttered beneath her breath. '_Calm... normal... don't let him wind you up...'_

"Sit," Eric commanded when she returned and slammed the bottle down on the table.

"I'm working," she snapped, already turning to walk away from him.

"Does the name Mark Schneider mean anything to you?"

Mary stopped dead and felt the colour drain from her face as she turned slowly back round to face the blond vampire, still seated and regarding her intently "Never heard of him," she managed to reply.

"You are a terrible liar," Eric pondered dryly. "Sit down."

Mary glanced around then sat heavily in a chair opposite Eric, watching him guardedly. "Why do you want to know?" she demanded.

"So you do know him?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! I don't have time for your games, Eric!" she spat, leaping to her feet again.

"His print was found on a barrel fragment," he called as she stormed away, and he beckoned her with his hand when she stopped dead and turned around once more, her eyes wide with shock and horror.

"You're lying!" she hissed, her mind refusing to acknowledge what she had just been told.

"And what would I have to gain by lying?" he reasoned, spreading his hands wide in a gesture of innocence.

"It's a helluva coincidence, him bombing the very same motel his wife works at, that happens to be _miles_ away from where we lived!" she argued, going back to the table and sitting down once more, glaring at him.

"So, did he have a thing against vampires?"

"He used to go off if something came on the telly about you, creating about how un-natural it all was, but I guess so did a good deal many other people. Doesn't make them terrorists." Mary blanched as Eric fished out a photograph from an inside pocket of his jacket and pushed it across the table, Mark clearly visible on it, talking to another man.

"The other man is a known member of the American Moral League, possibly the leader, and this was taken last night..."

"And you now think _I_ had something to do with it? That I'm in cahoots with Mark?"

"As you say, a helluva coincidence."

"Oh, I don't believe this!" Mary snorted, throwing her hands up. "You saw the state I was in, Eric! You know I would _never_ do anything like that!"

"Is everything okay?" Sam enquired as he hesitantly approached the table.

"Yeah, sorry Sam," Mary sighed. "Look, I gotta work and you're scaring off the customers. Come over to Bill's after my shift and we'll talk then, okay?" she added, barely looking at the vampire as she addressed him.

"I'll see you later," Eric agreed, inclining his head slightly, before getting up and throwing some money on the table. "Put the change in the charity tin."

"What was that all about?" Sam enquired once Eric had left.

"Yeah, what?" Sookie added as she joined them.

"Nothing... sorry about that, Sam. It won't happen again." _'I hope.'_

"You can't dictate who comes in," Sam reasoned. "And so long as they don't cause trouble, I have no problem with other vampires."

"Yeah, but he isn't just _another_ vampire, is he?" Mary sighed as she hurried over to one of her tables on seeing that their pitcher was nearly empty, hoping to keep their custom and not have them scared off by Eric's presence.

**A while later **

"Oh, thank God tonight's over with!" Arlene breathed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mary; night Sookie."

"Yeah, night, Arlene," Mary replied as she headed for the door, eager to get away from the bar, but at the same time not looking forward to what was to come. '_Is Mark behind all this?' _ she wondered for the umpteenth time that evening. She savoured the reasonably fresh air as she stood outside the bar for a moment then went to walk to her car, pausing in her step as she noticed Eric sitting on the bonnet. _'Great...'_ "I thought I was meeting you at Bills?"

"I though I would make sure you got there safely," he replied with a cold smile, his eyes flickering along her legs, exposed by the pair of shorts that was part of her uniform at Merlotte's.

"You didn't trust me not to do a runner, you mean?" she accused, shooting him a dark look.

"I did not want to wait for three hours at Bills house," he admitted, making the corners of Mary's lips twitch in the ghost of a smile, in spite of herself.

"So why didn't you go to _Fangtasia_ and come back?"

"It's nice here; peaceful."

"Oh, that is _bad_ for your image," Mary taunted. "The great, cool Eric Norseman likes the peaceful countryside!"

"Norseman?" he enquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Northman is a bastardisation of it, right? So yeah, _Norseman."_

"I suppose it is," he agreed with a smile, the first genuine one Mary had seen from him. "So, do I get a ride?"

"You're a vampire; you don't need one, but I suppose you'd better get in. So... you think Mark set the barrels?"

"How else would his print get on the underside of the one that fragmented?" Eric replied as he got into the car.

"Could have been a barrel that the forestry had once used?" Mary suggested, trying to think of anything that would distance her estranged husband from the atrocity that had broken her heart.

"Then how do you explain him knowing a member of the AML, and pretty well by the look of things?

"It is too coincidental, him having anything to do with the motel" she argued as she pulled out of the parking lot at Merlotte's bar.

"You haven't even considered it, have you?"

"What?"

"That it might have been _you_ that he was after; killing the the vampires being a bonus."

"M-me?" Mary spluttered, braking hard and staring at Eric. "You think he targeted _me?"_

"Yes, I do. As you say, it is too coincidental otherwise."

"But... how the hell would he know where I was?"

"Someone who knew you and stayed at the motel?"

"Nearly a hundred miles away?"

"Maybe they had a vampire fetish and were prepared to travel?"

"Shreveport and _Fangtasia_ are nearer."

"Bank details? Card details?"

"Bank...?" Mary frowned, looking thoughtfully at Eric. "The bitch he left me for worked in a bank in Cahors."

"The bank you still use?"

"Yes," she sighed, shaking her head. "The bastard!"

"I need to find him, Mary. Do you know where he'd be? Where this woman lives?"

Mary jumped as a horn sounded behind her, and she put the car in gear again, somehow managing to pull away once more. "I haven't seen him since the night he kicked me and Bill out. Why? What do you plan to do with him? Turn him over to the police?"

"The police?" Eric repeated incredulously. "Why would I turn him over to the police so that they can slap him on the wrist, tell him not to be a naughty boy again, and send him on his way?"

"I don't think that would happen. The American Vampire League have been kicking up a fuss about it, and there is disgust that humans were killed by the fire as well; I don't think they would dare let whoever was behind it, go, not without acerbating the situation."

"You credit your species with far too much intelligence," he retorted.

"So, what? You reckon that by finding Mark or whoever and dealing with them yourselves, is the best way, huh? Never mind that in the human world it will seem as if it's an unresolved crime; that the perpetrators got away with murder!"

"They _would_ get away with it in your world!" Eric argued.

"If it was Mark, and he _did_ get away with it, I'd hunt him down and put a bullet in his brain myself!"

"I might hold you to that..."

"You do that, Eric Norseman, because I fucking well mean it!" Mary yelled, pulling over before she lost control of herself and the car, and jumped out, storming away from the vehicle.

"So you won't help me?" Eric queried as he followed her. "I could glamour you..."

"Then why don't you?"

He sighed. "Even if he was found guilty, and faced the death sentence for what he did, they would make him a martyr."

"And by thinking that he got away with it, they would make him a hero. At least martyrs are dead!"

"And so we reach and impasse," he mused, looking at her from beneath his brows. "What do you suggest we do?"

"You don't even know that it's Mark!" Mary defended.

"Even if all Mark did was load the barrels onto the truck, he will know who was behind it. That is why I _have_ to find him; his is the only concrete identity I have, Mare, and who is accessible."

"Mare? I only allow close friends to all me Mare."

"_Mary_," he corrected with a crooked smile. "I will question him, with you present if you like, and if I think he is just a foot soldier rather than a general, then I shall hand him over to the police, okay?"

"And if he's a general?"

"Then I am obliged to hand him over to the vampire council to decide his punishment."

"Which won't be pleasant..."

"Neither is the electric chair. Have you even seen someone die by that method? It is not pleasant, even for me. And yet if they just give him life imprisonment, he will be thought of as a hero."

"So it's screwed whichever way," Mary sighed heavily.

"Yes. Help me, Mary; you owe me one, after all..."

"Bastard!" she muttered, closing her eyes as thoughts raced through her mind in a jumble, but she knew she had little choice. "Okay... let's head to Bill's, I'll show you the best possible locations on Google Maps. I dunno where the woman lives, only that her name is Emmy-Sue and she works at the United Bank."

"Thank you. Come on, let's go," he jerked his head towards the car, then lead the way back to the vehicle, getting in to the drivers seat.

"Hi Bill, Jess. Is it okay if I use the computer a while," Mary enquired wearily as she entered the gloomy house, followed closely by Eric.

"Of course... what is going on?" Bill demanded, giving Eric a look over his shoulder as he followed Mary to the computer desk.

"Mark's print was found on a barrel at the motel, and he was seen having a cosy chit chat with an AML member last night. Eric wants to find him."

"You do not sound happy about that?" Bill frowned, trying to keep his voice low enough so that Eric could not hear.

"Doesn't matter how I feel," she sighed as she opened up Google Maps and started searching. "This is our old house," she told Eric who leaned over her shoulder, a little too closely for either hers or Bill's liking, but Eric ignored them both.

"Would he be there?"

"I have no idea. Possibly. This..." she continued, scrolling out then heading for a spot deep inside Kisatchie National Forest, "is his favourite hunting and fishing spot. There is a log cabin that he'd stay in; it's a good half hour hike from the road, but then that's a long way to have to keep travelling to and from."

"Are there other cabins?" the blond pressed.

"Yes, but as they are nearer to the roads, they are more frequently used by members of the public. Only dedicated ones tend to go for the Pine Wood Pond cabin; this is Mark," Mary added, calling up an official forestry photograph of her husband, and having conflicting feelings well up inside of her at the sight of him, mostly fear for his life if Eric ever _did _find him, but then Mary thought of the motel and the pain her friends must have suffered, and she hardened her heart. "I dunno when you plan to travel, but there is a windowless cellar in my old house, or failing that, a large outbuilding where you could shelter. Bill stayed there until I discovered him. Or rather, he discovered me... All of the log cabins in the forest have windows and no cellars, so they are unsuitable, and I don't know of any vampires in Cahors or Alexandria, I'm afraid."

"I know a few in Alexandria, but thank you," Eric replied, not taking his eyes off the monitor as he memorised the layout. "I'll go tomorrow night."

"I should go, instead," Bill offered. "I have met him, I know better what he looks like than you do."

"And you'll hand him straight over to the police," Eric argued, pulling a chiding face at the smaller, dark haired vampire. "Mary and I have an agreement."

"Which is?" Bill pressed.

"Thank you for your help, Mary," Eric acknowledged, totally ignoring Bill. "I will let you know if I find him or not."

"Okay; I'm not sure whether I want you to find him, but good luck," Mary nodded, closing her eyes as Eric strode from the kitchen. "Oh, dammit," she sighed, covering her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry," Jessica offered, hovering in the doorway, unsure as to whether to go and comfort the human woman or not.

"Dammit! Eric!" Mary called, leaping to her feet and running through the house, stopping on the verandah. "I forgot to tell you... Mark was in the army... he worked with explosives."

Eric held her gaze for several moments before nodding. "Then you know what I must do if I find him."

"Yeah," she sighed, leaning against the door frame for support as Eric floated up in the air, grinning at her look of utter astonishment, before flying away. "Fuck..."

"Do you really believe that Mark is behind the bombing?" Bill frowned.

"I... don't know," Mary sighed, leaning against his shoulder as he stood behind her. "I hope not, but it's looking more and more likely."

"You have not made any deals with Eric have you? You do not want to associate with him; he is dangerous."

"I know that, she shrugged, appearing unconcerned. "I'm heading to bed; night, Bill, Jessica."

Mary lay down on her bed, unable to stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks. _'Oh Mark, what happened to you? Did I ever even know the real you?' _She tried to hide her tears as Bill entered her room and sat on the bed, but instead Mary sat up, buried her face in his chest and sobbed as he rocked her back and forth.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own any characters from the series True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

Although it's great to see so many people saving this in their favourite stories, reviews would be even nicer. I had always planned on sending the chapters with the sex scenes, which I'm going to have to butcher in order to post on this site, to the regular reviewers but there are none, so I guess they stay purely for my pleasure.

**Chapter nine**

Mary woke with a start, cursing out loud as her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Schneider, this is Detective Cortez of Haynesville police station. I wonder if it would be possible for you to come in and answer a few questions?"

"I live in Bon Temps now and I'm afraid I have to work; can't you come down here?" Mary replied, managing to keep her voice calm; she had no intention of letting the police know that she already knew about Mark's print.

"I would prefer it if you came up here..."

"And why is that?" she demanded. "Is it formal questioning, or informal, just so I know whether to bring my lawyer with me!"

"No, no! It's not formal, Ma'am... I shall come down to Bon Temps this morning; see you in about two hours?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she agreed, finishing the call. "Oh, fuck..." Mary glanced at the clock, groaning as she saw it was almost ten in the morning, and prised herself out of bed and padded to the bathroom, trying to be quiet, even though she knew she had no need to be. She frowned when her phone rang again, smiling to herself as she saw it was Bill.

"Is everything all right?" he enquired. "I sense you are feeling a little scared."

"Yeah... the police just rang; they're coming down to ask me a few _informal_ questions..." she told him as she stripped off one handed in order to shower.

"When?"

"In a couple of hours, at the police station."

"You should have a lawyer present..."

"No; they can't do jack without concrete evidence, and all they have is a fingerprint of my estranged husband."

"But you never formalised your separation, did you?" Bill pointed out. "To all intents and purposes, you are still legally married to him."

"Bollocks!" Mary muttered darkly. "Sorry," she immediately added, knowing that Bill did not like women swearing.

"Let me pay for a..."

"No! You're already doing far to much for me Bill, but thank you anyway."

"Mary..."

"Look, I gotta shower, then go and see Sam to tell him I'll be in later. I'll be fine, I promise."

"You call me as soon as you leave the station, or if you need any help, all right?"

"Yes, worry wart!"

"Someone has to," he muttered to himself as the line went dead. "Dammit!"

"Stop swearing..." Jessica taunted from her position next to him, beneath the stairs. "She'll be fine..."

_'I certainly hope so,'_ he thought as he tried to decide whether Mary was in bigger danger from Mark or Eric.

"I am Mary Coo... Schneider," she corrected as she presented herself to the front desk at Bon Temps police station. "I am here to see Detective Cortez from Haynesville police."

"Take a seat, and I'll let him know you're here."

"Mrs. Schneider! I'm Mario Cortez," a Hispanic man greeted, holding out his hand.

"Mary Coombes, as I go by now," she replied, shaking his hand.

"Come on through; as I said, it's just a couple of questions... nothing to worry about."

"It's important enough for you to want to talk to me pretty urgently," she pointed out as she followed him into a small room.

"This is Sheriff Dearbourne of Bon Temps; you may have already met him," Cortez announced, introducing an older man already seated at the table. "It is important, but nothing, hopefully, for you to worry about Mrs... _Ms._ Coombes."

"I understand you're staying with Bill Compton?" Bud Dearbourne enquired pleasantly.

"Yes, we're friends... why?"

"No reason. Just asking."

"This may come as a shock to you, Ms. Coombes, but one of the barrels at the motel? Well it did not explode properly, and there was fragments of it which of course we had analysed. We found..."

_'Oh, get on with it!'_

"...one of your husbands prints on the underneath... do you have _any_ idea how it might have gotten there, Ma'am?"

"My...? M-Mark's...?" Mary stammered, hoping that the amateur dramatics lessons she had whilst at school were standing her in good stead. "B-but _how?"_

"Well, I was kinda hoping you'd be able to give me some ideas," Cortez mused.

"Oh... erm..." Mary made a pretence of concentrating hard, whilst thanking Eric up to the heavens for at least giving her advance warning of what was to come. "The only thing I can think of, is that the forestry sell off excess barrels that they no longer use... Mark is a ranger in Kisatchie, you know? But... I really can't think how else his print would get there. Are you _sure_ it's Marks? I mean, even if the barrel hadn't exploded properly, there's still gonna be some damage, right?"

"No, this print is as clear as clear," Cortez replied, pulling a rueful face. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, I realise what a shock it must be to you."

"Do you know where your husband is?" Bud Dearbourne put in. "I'm sure if we could ask him himself, it would clear the matter up in no time."

"I haven't seen Mark since the day he threw me out of my own home!" Mary spat, not having to pretend her anger. "And that was over ten months ago! Try asking that bitch he shacked up with!"

"He... left you?" Cortez frowned. "Or did you leave him?"

"He left me when I was desperately ill to go and live with a slapper he'd been having a fling with!"

"Emmy-Sue Hymel?"

"That's her!" '_I have a surname...'_

"She denies having seen Mark for a few months now."

"Oh, she came to her senses, or grew a conscience?" Mary queried acerbically.

"And you definitely haven't seen Mark since that day? Not even in passing, or maybe talked to him on the phone?"

"No... why?"

"Because it seems a little strange to me that your husbands print turns up on a barrel at the motel his... _estranged_ wife worked at, and that she just happened to not be working on the very day the motel explodes in flames..."

"As I told your colleagues at the time, I had gone shopping that day, and I rarely worked days anyhow; my shift were usually five or seven in the evening until one or two in the morning," she replied, trying to recall if the interviews she had given in the days following the attack, had been recorded. _'Bill would have picked up on it,' _ she thought, sending up a little prayer that he had noticed during the night-time meetings that he had accompanied her to.

"Ah, yes," Cortez agreed, making a show of rifling through some papers. "So you did."

"Do you have any ideas where Mark might be now?" Dearbourne enquired. "Any friends he might be staying with?"

"Apart from on the road to hell, no. I take it you've gone to the forestry to look for him?"

"Ah, not yet, Ma'am. We thought we'd try you, first."

"Am I a suspect, Detective Cortez?"

"No, Ma'am, not as yet. But I would appreciate it if you didn't leave the State without first informing myself or Sheriff Dearbourne, here."

"Is that all?"

"For now; thank you for your time, Ms. Coombes. As soon as I have any developments, I shall let you know. And of course, it goes without saying that if your husband gets in touch..."

_'You'll be the last to know...'_ "Of course, Detective; Sheriff," Mary nodded as she stood.

"Thank you for your time," Cortez smiled holding out his hand and looking almost surprised when Mary ignored it and walked out of the door.

**Two nights later**

"Uh-oh... your friend's back," Sam informed Mary, nodding to a spot over her shoulder.

"I have a table to serve," Mary shrugged, walking to the serving hatch and picking up a couple of plates, even though every instinct wanted to demanded information out of the vampire.

"Now jeans were made fer an ass an' a pair o'legs like them," a man on the table behind Eric's, commented, and watching Mary saunter past his table, clad in a pair of dark denim skinnies, he could not help but agree. '*_Very nice legs,'_ he mused thoughtfully.

"Well?" Mary demanded when she finally approached his table.

"Don't I have to buy anything tonight?" the vampire teased.

"_Eric!_ Did you find him?"

"No; there had been someone in the Pine Wood Pond cabin, but not for a few days; your house looked like it hadn't been touched since you left it; oh, and the basement was very comfortable, thank you. The woman, Emmy-Sue hadn't seen him since they split a couple of months back; said that they had a big argument and he left."

"Bloody hell, you had a busy night."

"But ultimately unproductive. Any other ideas?"

"None," Mary sighed, torn between feeling relieved and disappointed. "I think the best thing you can do is monitor the AML group that he might or might not belong to."

"I am doing that," he nodded, surprised that Mary had recommended that course of action to him. "But they're keeping a very low profile, which makes me believe even more that they were behind the bombing."

"Yeah," she sighed wearily.

"You look washed out; Bill been drinking too much?"

"Oh, ha bloody ha!" Mary sniped. "I am not involved with Bill."

"Were you ever?"

"That is none of your business, Eric. Now, is that all?"

"No. Sit down, I have a proposition."

Mary hesitated briefly before sitting. "What?"

"You want Bill, I want Sookie. Why don't we work together to split them up?"

"W-wha...? Are you serious?"

Eric shrugged by reply.

"Sookie rejected you even when she and Bill _had_ split. I don't think she's going to want to know now they're more in love than ever before. You know they're getting married?"

"Yes, which is why I want to split them before it happens; you can help..."

"I'm sorry, Eric, but I'm not interested in being second best, even if you are."

"I am not second best!" he growled angrily.

"You would be if your little plan worked. Besides, I'm not even sure I _want_ Bill any more; a few months ago maybe, but now...? He's happy with Sookie and I'm happy for him. Sorry." Mary got to her feet as one of her customers called out, and hurried over.

"_We're_ payin' customers, not that fanger," the man sniped. "Two beers, an' yer'd better be quick about it!"

"Talk to me like that again and you'll be _wearing_ your beers!" Mary rejoined, turning around and storming over to the bar, unsurprised to find Eric gone. '_I hope he doesn't come around again_,' she thought, not really wanting to lose this job and have to try and find another one further out, or even in Shreveport.

**A few weeks later**

"You _never_ let me go _anywhere!"_

Mary walked in after a heavy day shift at the bar, to a full blown argument between Jessica and Bill, which she had found over the two months she had been living at Bill's house, was the norm. "What's wrong _now?" _she asked, having had to act as peacemaker on several occasions.

"I want to go out tonight! Hoyt is on a boys night out and I wanted to go to _Fangtasia_, but _he _won't let me!" Jessica whined, jerking her thumb at Bill.

"I can't say I blame him this time," Mary shrugged, "sorry"

"But it has been _ages_ since I went to a club and danced! Hoyt don't like 'em much, and I do love to dance; don't you love to dance, Mare?"

"Yes, I adore dancing..."

"So why don't _you_ come with me?"

Mary shot Bill a look as he struggled to keep a straight face. "Don't look at me," he protested. "You walked right in to that... but, no," he added, looking back at his charge. "You are _still_ not going to _Fangtasia!"_

"I hate you!" Jessica screamed as she stormed up the stairs. "Hate, hate, hate!"

"How about if I take her to a regular club?" Mary offered.

"And the minute she orders Tru Blood, everyone will know she is vampire. Much as I dislike the place, _Fangtasia_ is safer for her, but..."

"Not alone," Mary sighed. "She could do with a night out... she's been pretty well behaved lately."

"You can't take her there," Bill frowned. "It would be dangerous for you!"

Mary sighed. "The first sign of trouble and we'll be out, okay?"

"No! Not okay!"

"If Eric wanted me dead, he's had ample opportunity in the last couple of months, huh? I'll be fine, I'm sure of it."

"For once it is not Eric that I'm worried about..."

"An hour, two at the most, and we'll leave well before it gets crowded, how about that?"

"I do not know," he worried, looking up the stairs and cocking his head to one side as he thought he felt a presence there. "Are you listening in?" he demanded.

"No!" came Jessica's voice but also the sound of footsteps as she hurried to her room.

"She'll be fine, I promise..."

"Oh, this is _such_ fun!" Jessica exclaimed as she twirled around in time to the music.

"Yeah," Mary smiled, casting a wary eye around the floor. Despite her assurances to Bill, she had felt extremely nervous about entering the nightclub, especially after a more than frosty welcome from Pam who had been on duty at the door. Her heart sank as she glanced at the platform and saw Eric sitting on his chair, watching her dance. She acknowledged him with a slight incline of her head, then turned around, pretending to lose herself in the music.

"He's watching you!" Jessica grinned, nodding towards the platform. "I think he has the hots for you!"

"The only being Eric Northman has the hots for is the one he sees in the mirror!" Mary retorted, making the young vampire throw her flame red hair back and laugh loudly.

"Eric would like a word," a tall vampire with greased back hair announced to Mary as he stood in front of her.

"You go, I'll stay and dance," Jessica winked, turning away from her friend before Mary could protest.

"I am surprised to see you here," Eric mused as Mary walked up the platform and sat down beside him.

"Jessica was throwing a hissy and driving Bill mental. I thought I'd give her a treat."

"Here?"

"If you want me to leave...?"

"No! I didn't say that; I was just surprised. How are things in the happy home?"

"Happy, mostly... Sookie and Bill are blissfully happy, if that's what you mean?"

"And you?"

"Me? Why are you interested in my well-being?"

"Have you heard any more about Mark?"

"No, the police ring me every now and then to see if he's been in touch, but he's disappeared off the face of the earth. You heard anything more?"

"Nothing," he replied heavily, placing his elbows on the arm rests and pressing his fingertips together. "I want you to come and work for me."

Mary looked into his grey/blue eyes in astonishment, too shocked for words for a few moments. "W-what...? Me? Work for _you?_ And why the hell would I do that?"

"The hotel is not making as much money as it should be, especially with the loss of competition after the fire... I need a good manager; I will pay $400 per month, and you will have a room at a reduced rate."

"I was never manager," she argued, her mind reeling.

"You were in all but name," he replied. "You had the same amount of rooms as we do and you did all the ordering, most of the administration; you _ran_ that motel towards the end."

"H-how... do you know...?" Mary frowned. _"How?"_ she demanded when he only reply was an enigmatic smile.

"I had my sources," he shrugged.

"If you had bought them out, were you going to offer me this job?"

"No, you'd have been in charge of the motel. Stuart's heart was no longer in it, and Adam had his finger in other pies; you'd have only been continuing with what you were doing anyway. So?"

"I... don't know... dammit, Eric! I tried to kill you a few weeks back, and now you want me to work for you? That's just too weird..."

"I do not have a problem with it... so long as you don't _ever _try it again..."

"Don't ever give me good reason to," she bit back, instantly wishing that she had not as his face hardened and his eyes grew pale and cold. "Sorry... I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did."

"At the time I really thought you had been behind it; I was beside myself with grief and horror. When I'd calmed down and thought about it, I knew it couldn't have been you."

"I was impressed by how strongly you felt for your friends murders."

"You were? Even though I'd almost killed you?"

"You would not have."

"Seriously, or is that your ego talking?"

"Seriously; but it's a good job Bill got to you before I did... does he know where you are?"

"Oh yes," Mary sighed, remembering Bill's anxiety earlier. "He knows."

"And isn't very happy about it?"

"Ha!" she snorted. "What do you think?"

"Why? Because of me, or because you might meet someone and start a life that doesn't include him?"

"A bit of both, I think. You know... he is with Sookie but thinks that he can control me as well. Thinks that because we have a blood bond that we're inextricably linked."

"A blood bond?" Eric queried, his interest piqued. "I did not know you shared a blood bond."

"Yes. When he found me I was suffering from ME; yuppie flu. He offered his blood in exchange for somewhere to stay. As it turned out he stayed, with my knowledge, for just one day, when Mark turned up and threatened to report me. So we had to run to Oxten Falls; that's why I stayed, I felt I owed him because I couldn't honour my side of the bargain."

"That explains why he is so protective of you," he mused, more to himself. "A blood bond?" he murmured, "interesting..."

Mary glanced up quickly as shouts were heard near the entrance of the club, which then turned to panicked screams, and she leapt to her feet, her eyes scanning the crowded floor for Jessica. She caught her breath as gunshots were heard and found herself propelled down the steps and across the floor, almost colliding with Jessica as Eric grabbed hold of the young vampire as well.

"My office and do _not _come out!" he ordered, all but throwing them both in the direction of his office.

"What's going on?" Jessica cried, her eyes wide with terror as Mary grabbed her arm and marched her quickly to the office and shut the door, looking around for something to barricade it with. "Push the desk against it, Jess," she instructed, knowing the youngster was much stronger than she was.

"W-what is it?" Jessica whimpered, jumping and yelping with fright as something banged hard against the door, and she quickly shoved the desk into place.

"Come on." Mary took her hand and led her to a corner of the room and wrapped her arms around Jessica, trying not to show her own fear as the air was filled with the noise of gunshots, growls, and screams. "It's all right, we're safe," she soothed, stroking her long, red hair. "Eric will keep us safe." _'I hope.'_

"W-who is it?"

"No idea, but hey, guns can't kill vampires, remember?"

"I don't think anyone's _that_ stupid... maybe they've figured something else that kills us! What if they break in here?" Jessica wailed, burying her face in Mary's shoulder as the noise intensified.

'_Oh God, please let it stop,'_ Mary prayed as she rocked Jessica to and fro, wishing she could block out the cacophony of sound.

"I-it's q-quiet..." the young vampire stammered, looking up at Mary as the noise suddenly seemed to stop. "W-what if they're all d-dead, and they c-come after us...?"

"Come and move the desk a fraction and I will go and look."

"No! No, you can't!"

"Look, it's all over, and I doubt the humans won, eh?" In truth, the lack of any sort of sound worried Mary, and she _had_ to find out what was happening, even if it did put herself and Jessica in danger. "Come on, Jess. I'll come and get you as soon as I know it's safe, but put the desk back by the door until I call you, okay?"

Mary slipped out of the office, using the bar itself as cover as she crouched down and moved forward, her military background kicking in and she did not react to the injured and dead bodies strewn around the club. She took a quick glance around the room, her eyes widening in horror as she saw Eric lying prone on the floor, blood seeping from his chest, and a human standing over him, a stake in his hand, ready to drive it into the vampires heart.

"_Eric!"_ Mary screamed, launching herself at a body nearby and snatching a gun from the hand, rolling herself across the floor and firing once. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" she breathed, crawling across to where the stricken vampire lay, unable to move, the body of his would be assassin lying next to him. "Oh, shit! Silver bullets, huh?"

"Silver barbs," Eric replied in a pained voice. "Can't expel them..."

"Oh, fuck!" Mary swore, looking around to see what she would fish them out with before spotting a dagger in the belt of the dead man. "Sorry," she frowned as she straddled Eric and dug the tip of the blade into the first wound, moving it around until she felt the barb, then as gently as she could, unhooked the barbs and lifted it out, glancing up as Eric gasped.

"You're enjoying this," he accused in a tight voice.

"In your dreams, sunshine!" she snorted as she bent over to retrieve the second barb. "Consider yourself lucky you've only got three."

"Well you're taking your sweet time finding the damn things!"

"*Fan ta dig!"

"What?" Eric frowned, a bemused smile spreading across his lips. "You learned that just to insult me? I'm flattered..."

"Yeah, right! I went out with a Swedish guy, Sven, a few years ago; he taught me how to swear in Swedish."

"That... hurt..." he gasped as the second barb finally popped out.

"Sorry, I'm trying to be as gentle as I can."

"That's all right," he mused, looking up at his saviour. "Be as rough as you like..." he added with a lopsided smile.

"Eric Norseman... I might just leave the other one where it is."

"I could get it out myself," Eric told her, sitting up so that they were face to face, and Mary caught her breath, trying not to react to the close proximity of him.

"I can get it much better if you're flat on your back," she retorted, pushing him down and leaning over, trying not to catch the look she knew was in his eyes. To her relief, the final barb had not penetrated deeply and it came out easily. Mary went to get off him, tensing as he sat up once more and prevented her from moving, his eyes boring into hers.

"Police! Freeze!"

"Oh... fuck..." she sighed, dropping the dagger quickly and raising her hands, looking over Eric's shoulder as police officers streamed into the club, some of them gagging at the sight of the decaying vampires that had been killed.

"Get up! _Now! _Both of you on your feet! Just what the hell were you doing?"

"Tending his wounds," she informed the officer as she slowly rose, her hands still raised to head height. "Look, there are other injured vampires here, let me tend to them as well..."

"Do _not_ move!" the official screamed, grabbing Mary by the arm and propelling her towards the bar. "Lean on there and spread your feet; you too!" he ordered Eric. "Are either of you a fanger?"

"It's vampire!" Mary hissed angrily, knowing that if she was indeed a vampire, her fangs would well and truly be protruding by now.

"I am," Eric replied calmly, casting a rueful look at Mary. "As are most of those still alive here."

"Except _her!"_

"Oh, shit! Jessica!" Mary groaned, looking towards the office door. "She's going to be scared shitless!"

"Officer, there is a young vampire in the office there," Eric informed the nearest policeman, nodding at the door.

"She won't come out unless I speak to her; I told her not to open it unless she heard me," Mary added.

"Well she ain't gonna hear you!" the first officer snarled. "'Cos you ain't goin' nowhere!"

"Oh, great... Bill's gonna ground us both..." Mary muttered, looking around, her anger growing once more as a debilitated Pam was hauled off the floor and shoved towards the bar. "For fucks sake! They've been shot with silver barbs; they can barely move!"

"If you don't shut your mouth, _you_ won't barely move..."

"Leave it," Eric warned, shaking his head once at Mary. "They'll be all right; it's not worth more grief."

"Let me go! Leave me alone! That hurt, you fucking asshole!"

"Leave her alone; she's only a kid!" Mary yelled as Jessica was manhandled across the floor.

"She's a fanger! They don't get hurt!"

"Leave her alone!" Mary screamed, pushing herself off the bar and moving to go to Jessica's aid, seeing the fist too late. Then the world went black.

I am sorry for the bad formatting – FFNET no longer lets me edit it any more *sigh


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own any characters from the series True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse collection of books – everyone else are mine. Nor do I own the title of the story – it is from a song by The Vagrants. Also, I do not make any profit from this story – it is simply for my, and hopefully your, pleasure.

An extra, extra long chapter to apologise for the long delay between chapters. No excuses – sorry!

**Chapter ten**

"Fuckin' fangbanger!"

Mary winced as the kick found the spot where she already had a large bruise and she steeled herself not to react to the provocation. She'd suffered enough kicks, sly punches, and jabs in the two days she had been held in Shreveport County jail as she waited to go before the District Judge, who was to decide whether she would stand trial for the murder of the man she had shot while defending Eric. She knew that Eric, Pam, and several other vampires had given sworn statements in her favour, but, according to the police department, the only viable video evidence of the incident just showed her shooting an apparently unarmed man in the back. There was no sign of Eric in the video, nor the stake the man had been ready to use; just an image of her rolling across the floor and shooting him from behind.

"You devil's whore! Fornicatin' with them monsters! Y'should be ashamed o'yourself!"

_'Oh, *dra åt helvete...' Mary_ thought darkly as she trudged, along with the other female inmates, to the prison canteen.

"Hey, chin up," a woman whispered from behind her. "I heard there's protests all over about you being locked up. The pro-vamps are doin' their nuts, sayin' yer wouldn't be locked up for defendin' a human, the anti-vamps are sayin' you should be strung up for valuin' a vampires life over a humans, an' they're all about at each others throats..."

"Thanks," Mary smiled. "I needed to hear that."

"There ain't much wrong with a vampyer, huh? Especially in bed..."

Mary smiled as she remembered her one time with Bill, and wondered what Eric would be like. _'Not sure I could handle Eric...'_ she mused, chuckling to herself.

"What're you laughin' at, bitch!"

Mary winced as another kick caught her ankle, and she struggled to keep on walking normally, even though it hurt like fuck. _'Toughen yourself up, girly. It'll be far worse than this in penitentiary, and that's where you're going.'_

_

* * *

_

The Governor of Louisiana, Sonny Parnell, sighed blissfully as he sipped his Scotch, feeling at peace with the world. He had just pushed through a reform to help the most disadvantaged train for work, his wife was receiving much praise for her charity functions, and he had been ranked very highly in the approval ratings of all the governors of the US. Life, he reasoned, could not get much better than this.

"Governor Parnell..."

"W-who are you?" Parnell spluttered, looking around in wild eyed shock as a tall, pale, blond man stood before him in the sanctuary of his office. "How did you get in?"

"I want you to release Mary Schneider."

"Mary who?"

"The woman who defended a vampire, me, against a human assailant."

"I... I can't do that! There is no evidence that she was defending anyone!" the Governor protested. "T-there was only the one videotape that showed anything."

"You _will_ release her, Governor..." Eric pressed.

"I can't, dammit! There's no clear cut evidence, and besides, I can't be seen to be taking sides!" Sonny Parnell protested, loosening his collar as he sweated profusely.

"That's a shame," the vampire smiled coldly, his fangs protruding. "Your poor family will be devastated by the revelation..."

"W-what... what are you talking about?"

"Oh, you _know_ what I'm talking about, Governor," Eric replied, leaning in so that his face was mere inches from the humans. "Bestiality is _such_ a taboo subject, even in more enlightened States than this one..."

"B-best...? I-I d-don't know w-what you're talking a-about..."

"No? Would you like me to show you the video we have?"

"Video?" the Governor squeaked. "I-I..."

"Video," Eric confirmed. "I wonder how many people would get to see it on Youtube before it was pulled...?"

"B-but there is no evidence to support her innocence!"

"Only _my_ testimony!" Eric snarled, "and that of other vampires! Or isn't our word good enough?"

"I-it is n-not concrete evidence..." he spluttered. "I can't just order her release without it looking strange!"

"Not my problem, Governor," Eric replied with an unconcerned shrug. "Get her released by tomorrow evening, or else..."

Sonny Parnell sat slumped in his captains chair, staring at the window the vampire had disappeared out of, his mind already racing around the names of people who owed him, and who he was going to have to lean on hard in order to get himself out of this situation with his reputation in tact.

* * *

"Schneider! Haul your ass to the governors office!"

"How the fuck do I know where the governors office is?" Mary spat, earning herself a slap across the face, adding to the several bruises already there.

"This way," the prison guard ordered, twisting her arm behind her back and frog marching her along the corridor, to jeers and catcalls from the other prisoners.

"Schneider, Sir," the guard announced when they arrived at the office, and he had knocked on the door and opened it.

"Schneider... come in," the prison governor of Shreveport County jail beckoned. "You have been called up before the judge this afternoon, last case."

"Oh? I see," Mary replied, unsure as to what he expected her to do or say.

"There's a lot of interest in your case, Schneider, from all over the world. But don't you think for one minute that that will influence the judge either way. He_ will_ send you for trial, and you _will_ be found guilty, mark my words."

"I'll consider them marked."

"Get her ready for court, and make sure she's cleaned up; we don't want people thinking we ill treat our prisoners," he ordered the guard.

_'Perish the thought... wanker!' _Mary winced as the guard shoved her out of the door and towards the shower block, and used a technique she learned while serving in war zones to function at full capacity while blocking everything from her mind.

"...It has come to our attention that there is more video footage of the night in question, Your Honour, that clearly shows the accused was indeed defending a vampire. If I may?"

Mary frowned as the words penetrated her mind, and she came out of her self-induced trance and looked at the small television screen set up in the court room, cocking her head to one side as she saw herself diving for the gun, and then rolling across the floor, firing just the once; her victim with the stake in his hand, and Eric lying incapacitated, both being clearly visible.

"As you can see, Your Honour, this collaborates the victims statement, along with the other sworn statements, and the law clearly states that vampires have equal rights to defend and _be_ defended, as humans do," the defence lawyer intoned.

"I am well aware of the law," the judge snapped sharply, wondering just how deep a shit Governor Parnell had gotten himself into for him to all but order the release of the woman. "The defendant, Mary Schneider, was clearly defending another, has no previous convictions, and is therefore to be released immediately." _'Damned fangbanger!'_

"Released?" Mary muttered out loud, glancing around as a police office approached her to undo her cuffs, the momentary shocked silence in the packed courtroom suddenly bursting into a cacophony of noise. "I can go?"

"Yes Ma'am, so the judge says," the black officer replied as he released her from her bonds. "Although I'd come with me for now, if I were you. There's a lot of people who ain't gonna be too pleased about this.

Mary, too shocked to speak, followed the burly officer across the floor in front of the bench, and through a door, breathing out loud as the noise dimmed to a dull roar. "Oh, God..." she gasped. "Why? How?"

"I have no idea, Ma'am," he replied, leading the way to a small ante room. "But I'd stay here until it all dies down a little."

"Why can't I go home?"

"Because there's protesters outside the building," he explained, "and riot police in attendance. I will see if I can arrange an escort for you."

"Thank you," Mary nodded, closing her eyes once the door was closed and she was alone. "Free? How the hell did that happen? Where did that other footage come from?" She got to her feet and walked to the door, opening a fraction and gulping with fright at the noise. "Oh fuck... how do I get out of here?"

"Miss Coombes?"

Mary backed away as another police officer approached the door.

"It's all right," he smiled. "I'm a vampire; I work night shifts here at the courthouse. You have a call."

Mary took the cell phone off him, too bewildered to question, and held it hesitantly up to her ear. "Yes?"

"It's Eric; meet me on the roof in five minutes."

"The r... hello? Eric? Jesus! Of all the surreal days I've ever had in my life, and I've had some, this takes some beating..."

"I will take you up there," the vampire offered. "I'm Saul."

"Mary... do you _know_ Eric?"

"He is our sheriff, but I do not know him personally."

"But he knows you, yes?"

"He knows of all the vampires in his area."

"Of course he does..." she breathed, following the pale skinned man along the corridor and up the stairs. "Just _how_ powerful is he?"

"He is the oldest vampire, in Area five at least; his power is beyond measure. He should be king."

"Oh, Jesus! Don't stoke his ego any more, for fucks sake!"

Mary shivered violently as Saul opened the door to the rooftop, and the wind whipped her hair and through the thin, pale green dress she had been provided with. "Why the rooftop?" she wondered out loud, the wind catching her words and carrying them away. "Eric!" she gasped as she saw the tall blond vampire standing by the edge of the roof, looking at her. "What the hell is all this about?"

"The judge saw that you are innocent of murder," he shrugged. "You ready to go?"

"Go? Go where? How?"

"Hold tight," he grinned, picking her up easily and nodding his thanks to Saul before leaping into the air, rising quickly.

"Oh. My. Fucking God!" Mary screamed. "I hate heights! Put me down!"

"That wouldn't be a good idea," he mused dryly. "Now shut up and you'll soon be home."

"Oh, Christ!" she groaned, burying her face in his neck.

"Want to take a bite?" Eric chuckled, offering some more of his neck.

"Fuck off!"

"I prefer it when you swear in Swedish..."

"Just shut up and get me back down on terra-firma!"

"Look."

"At what?" Mary demanded, having sensed that they were no longer moving.

"Just look," Eric instructed, grinning at Mary's squeak of fright as she glanced up to see the city lights spread out before them.

"Oh. Wow...!" she gasped, braving a longer look at the whole panorama as he hovered high above the ground.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes!" she breathed, awestruck. "I find it hard to believe you find anything beautiful, however!"

"Oh, I do," he assured her. "You ready?"

"Shit..." she muttered, thrusting her face back in his neck and screwing her eyes shut. "You're enjoying this, bastard!"

"Of course I am," he replied with a smile in his voice as he headed towards his headquarters, and home. "What else did Sven teach you?"

"Just swear words, no other Swedish."

"So you like tall, blond men, huh?"

"He is the _only_ tall, blond man I have _ever_ been with, _or_ fancied!"

"You're still a terrible liar," Eric whispered softly in her ear as he began to descend, pausing several feet above the ground.

"*Dra åt helvete!" Mary rejoined, then frowned and pulled away, looking at Eric, wondering why he had stopped. "What are you waiting for?"

"Thank you," he said, simply.

"Hey, you'd just offered me a job with good pay and conditions... I wasn't about to let some bastard take that away from me," she joked, covering up her awkwardness.

"So, you're accepting my offer?"

"If it's still open, yes."

"It is," Eric confirmed as he landed gently on the ground outside the hotel.

"You can put me down now!" Mary retorted as she struggled to get out of the vampire's arms. "Wait... why have you brought me here and not Bills?"

Eric sighed as he complied with her demand and set her down on the ground. "Because there have been reporters hanging around outside Bill's house, and besides, it's too dangerous," he explained.

"_What? _What do you mean, dangerous?"

"The night of the attack? Some men went to Merlotte's bar and were asking after you, said they were friends you had met. Sookie told them that it was your night off and that you had come to _Fangtasia."_

"You mean...? They were going to... Sam's _bar_?"

"Yes, which is why you can't go back there."

"Jesus Christ!" she swore, running her hand through her unruly hair. "Why, Eric? What's so special about _me?"_

"Some people cannot handle the thought of humans and vampires. When your husband saw you with Bill, it obviously upset him greatly."

"To the point of massacring innocents?"

"To them, no vampire is innocent. Did he show any signs of fanatical behaviour before he left you?"

"No... but then I was generally too out of it to notice much. He had used to be out at all hours, but I thought that he was with _her_. No... it can't be Mark, it just can't!"

"For your own safety, you're going to have to assume that it can and it is, now come on, let's get inside."

"Yes, I'm frozen; this damned dress barely covers my embarrassment!"

"You should wear them more often," he mused as he followed her into the hotel lobby.

"Dream on, Norseman!"

"I shall," he replied with a wicked smile as his eyes travelled her long legs.

Mary shook her head at him, but didn't bite, her mind still reeling with the thought of all the people at Merlotte's who could have died had she been on duty that night instead of the day.

"I'll show you to your room," Eric offered, leading the way to the elevator.

"How long's this place been open?" she asked, wanting to switch her mind to other things; for now, at least.

"I opened just after Stuart took over at Oxten Falls, but because he was cheaper, he made better initial profits. I sank a lot into this place, taking ideas from other vampire hotels around, but on a much smaller scale; we only have fifteen rooms and five suites. But for some reason, it hasn't taken off that well. I need you to turn it around."

"You're putting a lot of faith in me, Eric, I hope it's justified," Mary worried as they entered the elevator. "Being the cheerful face at the front desk of a motel isn't like running somewhere like this."

"You ran the motel," he reminded her. "And you bridge a gap between humans and vampires, that is what this place needs. At the moment, I have mostly vampire staff, and that isn't working out, but humans are reluctant to work here as general staff."

"In what capacity _do_ they work here?"

"Cleaners, bar staff, some donors..."

"Wait? Donors, as in blood?"

"Yes; it is common practise in vampire hotels, and they are _very_ well paid."

"Of course they are," she sighed, wishing she had gone into the practises more carefully before agreeing to accept the job. "No prostitutes, I hope?"

"There are enough people willing to throw themselves at vampires for that not to be necessary. After all, you know how good sex with a vampire is..."

"I do?" she enquired, her face a mask of innocence, but her heart hammered as she caught his reflection in the elevator mirror, and felt his eyes boring into hers.

"Yes," he whispered, bending his head slightly so that his lips brushed her ear, his gaze never leaving hers. "Why else would your pulse have quickened and your eyes dilated...? Although, I am finding it difficult to think of Bill as a good lover..."

"_Eric!"_ Mary protested, glaring at him crossly through the mirror. "Whether I know if he's a good lover or not, he certainly keeps Sookie satisfied enough not to look twice at you!"

Mary took grim satisfaction in the anger that flashed in Eric's eyes as she stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened on the third floor, and waited patiently for him to lead the way to her room, having to stretch her long legs to keep up with him, and trying to keep the smile that was playing at the corners of her lips, from breaking out.

"Here is your room," he snapped as he opened a door. "My nest is next door."

"How reassuring..." Mary murmured. "I don't suppose you have a cell handy, do you?"

"What for?"

"I want to call Bill, let him know I'm okay."

"I'm sure he has seen the news!"

"Eric, please?" Mary deftly caught the cell phone that Eric threw, and punched in Bill's home number. "Bill! It's me; I've been released."

"I know, I saw. Where are you?"

"At the hotel; Eric provided _transport_."

"Are you all right? I did not think your case was due to be heard for a few more days?"

"No, me neither, but it all rushed through and the next thing I know, I'm a free woman and pandemonium breaks out! Listen, can you get Jess or Sookie to pack my clothes and bring them over, please? I'm in a ridiculously short, thin dress."

"Why can't you come back here?"

"Because of what might happen, Bill. I've already lost too many people I care about, and too many people have died because of all this. I am not going to risk yours, Jessica's, or Sookie's lives because of Mark. Besides... I'm working here, now."

"_What?" _Bill exploded. "You're working for _him?"_

"I'll explain when you bring my stuff over, Bill. Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad; I just don't want any woman I care about anywhere near that..."

"I love you too, Bill," Eric said into the phone, winking at Mary, who tried and failed to keep a straight face.

"I will be along shortly," Bill growled. "And we will talk then; _alone!"_

"He really does hate you, doesn't he?" Mary mused as she handed the phone back. "Why? Just because you want Sookie, or have you done something else to upset him?"

"We have never seen eye to eye, but things have got worse recently," he admitted with an unconcerned air.

"No better than human men," she remarked dryly. "Do you have a cafeteria or restaurant? I'm ravenous!"

"I will arrange for something to be sent up; do you have a preference?"

"So long as it's hot and filling, no!"

"Blood, then?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"Very funny, Eric. Now scoot so I can get myself cleaned up."

"I can scrub your back for you; it's something I'm _very_ good at apparently..."

"I'll take your word for it, now _out!"_

_Oh, dammit,'_ Mary thought as she closed the door on Eric and leaned against it. _'I can't cope with everything that's happening today!'_

"Mary! Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Jessica wailed as she flung herself into the human woman's arms, when she and Bill arrived some time later. "It's all my fault!"

"Jess... hey!" Mary soothed, stroking her hair. "It is _not_ your fault; it's the fault of the bastards who did it, okay?"

"I-I know, but..."

"No!" Mary interrupted firmly, pulling away from the embrace and cupping the young vampire's face in her hands. "The thought of blaming you has never entered my mind for even a nano-second, young lady, so stop right there!"

"Thank you!" Bill breathed, having spent the last few days trying to get the very same message through to his charge. "Are you all right? You have bruises..."

"I'm fine, now come here," Mary replied, holding out an arm and wrapping it around Bill, holding her friends close to her. "God, I've missed you both."

"Oh, what a sweet scene..." Eric remarked as he walked in the room, an amused glint in his eyes.

"Do you knock?"

"Rarely," he shrugged, the glint turning from amusement to interest as he realised that all Mary was dressed in was a short bathrobe, her mousy brown hair hanging in damp tendrils down her back.

"Then I'm saving every cent I can for a home of my own!" she retorted.

"Come back to mine; it will be safe."

"No way, Bill," Mary replied. "I would never forgive myself if anything happened. I'm safe enough here; from Mark, anyway..."

"If you will excuse us, we have private matters which we need to discuss," Bill requested, barely looking at the elder vampire as he addressed him.

"Private?" Eric queried. "You don't want Mary working for me, you don't want Mary staying here, you don't want Mary wanting anyone but yourself, but you don't want Mary... close enough?"

"How dare you!" Bill exploded, taking a step towards Eric.

"Stop! Both of you, right now!" Mary shouted. "Eric, kindly leave, and please learn how to knock next time. Bill sit down and calm down. Come on, Jess, you can help untangle this bloody mane of mine." She took the youngsters hand and lead her to the bathroom, sighing deeply as she shut the door. "Men! Doesn't matter what bloody species they are!"

"Bill is really mad that you're gonna be working for Eric," Jessica whispered as she began working on Mary's damp hair. "I think Sookie's kinda relieved though..."

"Yeah, it hasn't been easy my staying under the same roof, huh, especially with the wedding coming up. And I bet she'll be glad of Eric turning his attentions elsewhere..."

"You think Eric's forgotten about her?"

"I dunno, Jess. He seems to be taking an awful lot of interest in me, but why, I don't know."

"You saved his life! I think I'd be interested in you if you did that for me."

"No... it's more than that. I wonder if he's trying to make Bill so jealous that he... no, maybe you're right; maybe it is just because I saved his life."

"If he is interested in you, are you gonna... you know?"

"_What? _No, I bloody well am not! For one thing, he's now my employer! For another... he's not my type. I'd rather peel off my skin and bathe my weeping raw flesh in a bath of vinegar than sleep with him!"

"You fancy the pants off of him, admit it!"

"I'd say over my dead body, but being as I'm in a vamp hotel, I think I'll pass."

"Or rather you don't want to tell a lie!" Jessica teased, throwing her head back and laughing. "Mary and Eric sittin' in a tree..."

"Oi! That's enough of that, thank you!" Mary warned, but without malice. "Can you bring me a bra and knickers, and a tee and jeans in, please? I wish that food would hurry up and arrive."

"Eric's still here!" Jessica hissed gleefully when she returned with the clothes. "He and Bill are looking daggers at each other!"

"Oh, sweet baby Jesus..." Mary groaned, throwing her hands up in despair. "What am I going to do with them?" she shook her head and untied the bathrobe, letting it drop to the floor.

"Your food's arrived," came Eric's voice from the other side of the door, and Mary looked at it with narrowed eyes, almost swearing that he knew she was naked.

"I'll be right there," she replied, snatching up her underwear and hastily pulling them on, ignoring Jessica's giggles. "One of us is going to wind up dead, or deader as the case may be," she hissed, before breaking into giggles herself as she caught the look in the red haired girls eyes. "It's sure going to be interesting..."

"I'll give it a month before you end up in bed," Jessica grinned, yelping and laughing as Mary threatened her with a hairbrush.

"A month before he ends up with a stake in his heart more like. Come on," Mary urged as she finished dressing. "I'm starving!"

"What for?" the young vampire whispered as they exited the bathroom.

Mary shot her a warning look, then plastered a smile on her face while musing what to do about the atmosphere in the room, which you could cut with a very blunt knife. "What did you order?" she asked Eric.

"Italian; you need fattening up."

"Yeah. If you hadn't tried to ruin the motel, I wouldn't have had to take a pay cut and actually have been able to feed myself!" she retorted. "So, how's Sookie?" she enquired, smiling sweetly at Bill.

"Sookie is fine; she sends her love," he smiled, relieved to see Mary standing up to his nemesis. "She was as surprised as me when she heard you were going to be working here now."

"I couldn't stay with you forever, Bill; there was always going to come a time when I got a better job and moved away. But you know how grateful I am for all that you've done for me."

"Call it a repayment for when you looked after me."

"How well?" Eric murmured quietly, smirking as both Bill and Mary shot him a look.

"Look, if you guys don't mind, I'm going to head to bed once I've finished this," Mary apologised, not trusting the glint of devilment in Eric's eyes, and wanting him and Bill away from each other as soon as she could. "Thanks for bringing my stuff around, and good luck with the wedding, not that you'll need it."

"Thank you," Bill smiled, kissing her on the cheek and taking a fraction of a second longer than was necessary as he glanced triumphantly up at Eric. "You're still coming to the reception, I hope?"

"Try and keep me away!"

"Night, Mare," Jessica grinned, hugging her friend. "Don't do anything I wouldn't..."

Mary sighed as her friends left the room, then looked at Eric, still standing by her bed. "Did you have anything to do with my release?"

"What makes you think that?" he replied non-committally.

"You owed me one?"

"No, you actually owed _me_ one; we are now even."

"I thought I'd paid that debt when I told you where I thought Mark would be?"

"That wasn't much of a repayment for trying to kill me," he pointed out with a shrug. "Saving my life, however? Now that's a fitting repayment."

"So I don't owe you anything now?" she pressed.

"Not yet... you will."

"Don't be too sure about that, Eric!" Mary snapped. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like some time alone."

"Of course," he replied, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Oh, I forgot to say," he added, hesitating as he reached the door. "All the suites were built with an annex room to house any servants the guests may bring with them; this room is the annex to my suite, so should you need... _anything_... I'm just through this door," Eric smiled, indicating a second door, with a keypad, at the side of the en suite. "The code is..."

"I won't be needing the code," she interrupted quickly, hardly daring to breathe. _'Fuck, I'm going to barricade that thing!'_


End file.
